Context: 

Recently, India’s Defence Minister held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

India and Netherlands Discuss Bilateral Defence Cooperation On the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue

• Discussion Held On: 

• • To Enhance Bilateral Defense cooperation, particularly in Maritime security and Industrial collaboration.
  • Mutual interest in Bolstering Maritime security efforts in the Indian Ocean Region.
  • To Integrate Indian vendors into the supply chains of Dutch Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). 
  • To leverage Indian and Dutch synergies in Skills, Technology, and High-tech industries such as Semiconductors and Clean energy.

India Netherlands Relations

• Political ties: The year 2022 commemorated the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties. 
• Economic: In the F.Y. 2022-23: It was India’s 5th largest foreign investor and reached a record high FDI equity inflow of USD 2.498 billion. 
• Security, Indo-Pacific: Both sides recognize the close convergence between each other’s vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. 
• Technology and Startups: Initiatives such as The Hague Tech highlight bilateral cooperation in technology and innovation and collaborative projects in artificial intelligence and high-tech sectors.
• Agriculture: To Establish Centers of Excellence, 25 CoEs by 2025 in the Agri sector, 7 out of which are already functional.
• Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development: The Netherlands joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) & Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
• Cultural Cooperation: International Day of Yoga 2021 celebrations took place in a hybrid format on 19 June 2021. 
• Diaspora: The Netherlands hosts the second largest Indian Diaspora (after the UK) in Europe and the largest on mainland Europe. 

News Source: PIB