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Describing India arsenic a “land of opportunities”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected Saturday (May 16, 2026) said that the state is undergoing an “unprecedented transformation” and its aspirations are “no longer constricted to its borders”.
Addressing the Indian assemblage successful The Hague, the Prime Minister besides said that India is dreaming large and its younker aspires to scope the sky.
Mr. Modi besides met King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima connected Saturday (May 16, 2026) and discussed issues of communal interest. He is besides scheduled to conscionable his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten.
“Met His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima astatine the Royal Palace. It was fantastic exchanging perspectives connected boosting India-Netherlands relationship crossed cardinal sectors similar technology, innovation, sustainable growth, commerce and h2o resources,” Mr. Modi posted connected X aft the meeting. He said that India and the Netherlands are “connected by shared interests and a shared content successful gathering a future-ready planet.”
Both sides noted the adjacent practice successful the areas of sustainability, clime action, integer technology, innovation, fintech and bluish economy, and expressed committedness towards further strengthening India–Netherlands relations, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said successful a station connected X.
The Netherlands besides handed backmost 11th-century Chola dynasty copper plates to India, successful an lawsuit attended by Mr. Modi, signifying the strengthening of ties betwixt the 2 countries. The 21 copper plates, belonging to the times of Rajaraja Chola I and brought to the Netherlands successful the 1700s from contiguous time Nagapattinam successful Tamil Nadu which was past nether Dutch control, are considered the astir important surviving records of the Chola dynasty and are among the important artefacts of Tamil practice held anyplace extracurricular the country. India has been pursuing the instrumentality of the plates, known successful the Netherlands arsenic the Leiden Plates, since 2012.
Trust and transparency
The Prime Minister’s sojourn to the European federation is his 2nd travel to the state aft a 2017 circuit and comes astatine what officials described arsenic an “important juncture” successful India-Netherlands ties.
Officials successful the Ministry of External Affairs said the sojourn carries a “rich and substantive agenda” and is expected to consolidate the strategical dimensions of the concern that person emerged done sustained engagement betwixt the 2 countries.
India and the Netherlands person importantly expanded practice successful caller years beyond accepted sectors specified arsenic trade, concern and the precedence areas of water, agriculture and health.
Mr. Modi arrived successful the Netherlands connected Friday (May 15) – aft a little stopover successful the UAE – connected the 2nd limb of his five-nation circuit to further deepen bilateral practice successful areas specified arsenic trade, technology, defence and renewable energy. Other countries successful the authoritative circuit see Sweden, Norway, and Italy.
Highlighting that India and the Netherlands are moving unneurotic to make a trusted, transparent, and future-ready proviso chain, Mr. Modi told the Indian diaspora successful his implicit 40-minute code that the Netherlands volition go the “natural gateway” for Indian businesses to participate Europe and added that the Indian diaspora tin service arsenic a trusted span successful this journey.
"From vigor information to h2o security, the Netherlands and India are moving together. Our practice connected greenish hydrogen is precise important. And the historical commercialized statement betwixt India and the EU volition further fortify the concern betwixt India and the Netherlands," helium added.
He urged each “friends of India” successful the European state to summation practice with India arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. "This volition besides summation India's potential, and the instrumentality connected your investments volition besides beryllium higher. This is Modi's guarantee," helium said, amid applause from the audience.
"Today, our India is dreaming big. Today, the state is saying - we bash not conscionable privation transformation, we privation the best. And we bash not conscionable privation the best, we privation the fastest. And that is wherefore erstwhile aspirations are unlimited successful India, efforts are besides becoming limitless," helium said.
Mr. Modi besides said that galore cultures person vanished implicit time, but India's divers civilization “still beats successful the hearts of its people”. "Generations person changed, countries person changed, environments person changed... but the household values person not changed," helium said and appealed to the Indian assemblage to link with their ancestral villages successful India. "India of the 21st period is simply a onshore of opportunities. India is some technology-driven and humanity-driven. India is becoming arsenic modern arsenic it is ancient. Therefore, this is besides the clip to link with your ancestral villages successful India, and to enactment successful the travel of developed India," helium said.
The Prime Minister assured the diaspora that the Government of India stood firmly down each Indian surviving overseas and remained committed to their welfare.
Referring to the COVID pandemic, planetary conflicts, and the vigor situation caused by the ongoing struggle successful West Asia, Mr. Modi said this decennary is becoming a “decade of challenges” for the world. "If these situations are not changed rapidly, the achievements of the past decades volition beryllium washed away. The immense bulk of the world's colonisation volition again gaffe into the quagmire of poverty," helium warned.
Technical advancements
Stressing that India is presently experiencing an “unprecedented transformation”, Mr. Modi said: "You indispensable person seen precocious that India hosted the world’s largest and astir palmy AI Summit. Before that, India besides successfully hosted the G-20 Summit. And this was not a one-time event. This has present go the quality of today’s India."
Mr. Modi said the younker of India privation to interaction the entity now, and cited that arsenic a crushed down India's startup ecosystem getting stronger. "Now we are the third-largest startup ecosystem successful the world," helium added. "India’s aspirations contiguous are nary longer constricted to its borders. India wants to big the Olympics, go a planetary manufacturing hub, look arsenic a person successful greenish vigor and go the maturation motor of the world," helium said.
“India reached the satellite wherever nary 1 could scope before”, helium said, referring to India’s abstraction mission. India made past erstwhile its Chandrayaan-3 ngo successfully executed a brushed landing connected the lunar acold broadside - often referred to arsenic the 'dark side' - successful 2023.
Commending the “remarkable work” by Indian startups, Mr. Modi said the state present has astir 125 progressive unicorn startups portion it had lone 4 successful 2014. "Today, our startups are doing singular enactment successful AI, defence, and the abstraction sector. This civilization of probe and innovation is becoming adjacent much expansive," helium said.
Mr. Modi besides said some countries are doing a batch unneurotic successful the tract of sports. Hailing the Indian community's publication to Dutch cricket, helium said: "We each consciousness large erstwhile we spot Teja Nidamanuru and Vikramjit Singh successful the Netherlands jersey, oregon erstwhile young players similar Aryan Dutt lend to the aboriginal of Dutch cricket."
Underlining that the Netherlands is known for tulips, Mr. Modi said India is known for the lotus. "Both tulips and the lotus thatch america that whether the roots are successful h2o oregon connected the earth, if due nutrition is given, 1 gains some quality and strength," helium said, adding that this is besides the ground of the concern betwixt India and the Netherlands.
Festive atmosphere
Mr. Modi, who was accorded a lukewarm and colourful reception by a ample gathering connected accomplishment successful the Netherlands, expressed his gratitude to the Indian diaspora and friends of India successful the country. He said that, for a while, helium had forgotten helium was successful the Netherlands. "It feels similar a festival is going connected determination successful India."
Highlighting the relevance of May 16, Mr. Modi told the assemblage however his enactment won the wide predetermination successful India connected this day 12 years ago, adding that “a unchangeable and implicit bulk authorities was acceptable to beryllium formed successful India aft decades.”
Mr. Modi said helium was painted successful the “colour of patriotism” from a young age. "When I look back, 13 years arsenic Chief Minister [of Gujarat], 12 years arsenic Prime Minister, the continuous enactment of millions and millions of voters for 25 years successful the antiauthoritarian satellite is simply a precise large luck for me," helium said.
