'Tulip meets lotus': PM Modi holds talks with Dutch royals, bats for deeper India-Netherlands ties

Prime Minister PM Narendra Modi met King WillemAlexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands on Monday during his visit to the European nationMet His Majesty King WillemAlexander and Her Majesty Queen Maacutexima at the Royal Palace It was wonderful exchanging perspectives on boosting IndiaNetherlands friendship across key sectors like technology innovation sustainable growth commerce and water resources India andhellip pictwittercomBmY5fDxY9tmdash Narendra Modi narendramodi May 16 2026PM Modi who is in the Netherlands as part of the second leg of his fivenation tour is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten news agency ANI reportedThis is PM Modirsquos second visit to the Netherlands after his earlier trip in 2017 The bilateral relationship covers several sectors including defence security innovation green hydrogen semiconductors and the Strategic Partnership on WaterPM Modis visit taking place early in the tenure of the new government has provided an opportunity to further strengthen and expand the multifaceted partnership between the two countriesThe Netherlands is among Indiarsquos largest trade partners in Europe with bilateral trade valued at USD 278 billion in 202425 It is also Indiarsquos fourthlargest investor with cumulative FDI amounting to USD 556 billionPeopletopeople ties continue to remain an important aspect of IndiaNetherlands relations The Netherlands is home to over 90000 nonresident Indians and persons of Indian origin along with more than 200000 members of the Suriname Hindustani community Around 3500 Indian students are currently studying at various universities in the countryAddressing an Indian community event earlier in the day PM Modi praised the strong peopletopeople ties between the two countries and referred to the ldquolove and enthusiasmrdquo witnessed at the gathering saying it felt as though The Hague ldquohas become a living symbol of Indian friendshiprdquoPM Modi highlights IndiaNetherlands ties resilient supply chains amid global challengesReferring to the popularity of tulips in the Netherlands and the lotus in India PM Modi said ldquoThe Netherlands is known for tulips just as India is known for the lotus Both the tulip and the lotus teach us that whether the roots are in water or in the earth one gains both beauty and strengthrdquoldquoSeeing so much love and enthusiasm I forgot for a moment that I am in the Netherlands and it felt like I was attending a festival in India only It seems like The Hague has become a living symbol of Indian friendshiprdquo he addedHighlighting the challenges posed by the West Asia crisis the Prime Minister said the decade has been marked by multiple difficulties and warned that the achievements of past decades could be lost if the situation does not improve quicklyPM Modi said the world is now focusing on resilient supply chains and noted that India and the Netherlands are working together to establish a futureready supply chainldquoThe world is dealing with new challenges First Corona then war and todays energy crisis This decade is becoming full of challenges If the situation is not changed rapidly the achievements of last multiple decades will be wasted and a huge section of the worlds population will drown in poverty In such times India and the Netherlands are making endeavours to establish a futureready supply chainrdquo he saidIndia undergoing unprecedented transformation PM ModiPM Modi also said that India is currently witnessing unprecedented transformationldquoToday India is dreaming big Indias youth aspires to propel the country forward in the fields of AI and semiconductors India is home to the worlds thirdlargest startup ecosystem Contemporary India is undergoing a phase of unprecedented transformation The country is operating the worlds largest governmentfunded health insurance schemerdquo he statedHe further said India and the Netherlands are collaborating in sectors such as energy security and water securityldquoThe FTA between India and the EU will further strengthen the partnership between India and the Netherlands The Netherlands will become a natural gateway for Indian businesses to enter Europe and our Indian community can serve as a trusted bridge in this journeyrdquo stated PM ModiWith ANI inputs