Modi meets Dutch PM Mark Rutte, says Netherlands 'crucial' partner for India's development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held delegation-level talks with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. During the talks, both leaders discussed issues of mutual interests and emphasised on the need of strengthening cooperation in several sectors, including agriculture and water management.

“Ready for business! PM Modi and Netherlands PM Mark Rutte participated at the India-Netherlands CEOs Round Table and explored strengthening cooperation in sectors like agriculture & food processing, horticulture, water management, logistics, life sciences & health, among other areas,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

During the meeting, Modi said that Netherlands's technology and innovation were crucial for India's development.

"Netherlands strength in technology and innovation is a big opportunity for India cutting across several sectors crucial for India's development," Kumar quoted Modi as saying.

Earlier in the day, the Dutch prime minister, who was on a two-day visit to India, was received by Union Minister of Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal upon his arrival in New Delhi.

This is Rutte’s second visit to India after the Narendra Modi government came to power. Earlier he visited the country in June 2015. The visit also came within a year of Modi’s trip to the Netherlands in June 2017.

Netherlands is the fourth largest investor in India with an investment of USD 23 billion from 2000 to Dec 2017. Rutte, who was also accompanied by a strong business delegation, had tweeted in Hindi saying he was happy to be in “beautiful” India.