On 16 May 2026, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rob Jetten met in The Hague and agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership. Both countries adopted a five-year roadmap (2026–2030) focused on strengthening political engagement, economic cooperation, innovation, defence, sustainability, and people-to-people relations.
Political Dialogue: India and the Netherlands agreed to:
Hold regular meetings and reciprocal visits between heads of government, foreign ministers, and other cabinet ministers.
Establish an annual Foreign Ministers’ mechanism to review progress and provide strategic direction.
Increase interactions between ministries to deepen cooperation across sectors.
Economic Cooperation and Investments Both sides committed to:
Expanding trade, investment, and market access through the Joint Trade and Investment Committee (JTIC).
Promoting cooperation in renewable energy, semiconductors, telecommunications, infrastructure, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, maritime industries, and high-tech innovation.
Supporting joint ventures, industrial partnerships, SME participation, and resilient supply chains.
Strengthening collaboration in critical raw materials, including exploration, research, recycling, ESG standards, and value-chain integration.
Encouraging participation in trade fairs, business forums, and investment facilitation mechanisms.
Water, Agriculture, and Health The two countries will:
Renew and strengthen the Strategic Partnership on Water beyond 2027.
Cooperate in water resource management, flood resilience, coastal management, and river restoration, particularly in the Ganga Basin.
Support urban river management, disaster-resilient infrastructure, and sustainable water systems.
Continue agricultural collaboration through joint working groups and Centres of Excellence.
Promote agri-tech, biotechnology, climate-resilient agriculture, and startup cooperation.
Enhance public health cooperation on infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, digital health, climate-health linkages, and disease surveillance.
Strengthen pharmaceutical and medical-device cooperation through research, regulation, and industry partnerships.
Expand cooperation between food safety authorities on standards and digital certification systems.
Emerging Technologies, Innovation, Science, and Education India and the Netherlands agreed to:
Expand collaboration in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, photonics, biomolecular sciences, and energy materials.
Build trusted semiconductor supply chains and connect Dutch and Indian semiconductor ecosystems.
Support partnerships between Dutch universities and leading Indian technical institutes in semiconductor research and talent development.
Increase educational exchanges, STEM collaboration, institutional partnerships, and higher education cooperation.
Explore further cooperation in space technology and space-based applications for climate, water, food security, and air quality challenges.
Energy Transition, Sustainable Development, and Maritime Cooperation The roadmap includes:
Establishing a Joint Working Group on Renewable Energy.
Collaborating on green hydrogen, bioenergy, battery storage, circular economy initiatives, and renewable technologies.
Developing a green hydrogen corridor between India and the Netherlands.
Enhancing cooperation on climate adaptation, waste management, and biofuels.
Advancing maritime cooperation through green and digital shipping corridors, sustainable ports, and inland waterways.
Supporting sustainable urban development, zero-emission transport, charging infrastructure, and circular urban systems.
Defence Cooperation Both countries agreed to:
Enhance military cooperation through structured tri-services interactions.
Increase participation in naval exercises and maritime security initiatives.
Promote defence technology collaboration and industrial partnerships.
Develop a Defence Industrial Roadmap involving defence manufacturers and research organisations.
Explore a Mutual Logistic Support Agreement for military exercises and operations.
Security Cooperation India and the Netherlands will:
Deepen cooperation on cybersecurity, counterterrorism, maritime security, economic security, and emerging technologies.
Strengthen cyber dialogues and joint efforts against cybercrime.
Improve coordination in international forums on terrorism and global security.
Work towards concluding a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and a new Extradition Treaty.
Cooperate within Indo-Pacific frameworks and regional security initiatives.
Migration, Mobility, and Consular Affairs The partnership aims to:
Facilitate fair migration and mobility between the two countries.
Support mobility for students, researchers, academics, and highly skilled professionals.
Counter irregular migration through joint action.
Implement the existing Mobility and Migration agreement.
Continue regular consular dialogue on pending matters.
Culture and People-to-People Exchanges The two countries pledged to:
Strengthen cultural cooperation through exchanges, exhibitions, and joint heritage initiatives.
Collaborate in design, visual arts, museums, performing arts, and heritage conservation.
Continue discussions on restitution of cultural artefacts.
Promote tourism and deeper societal engagement.
Recognise the important role of Indian and Dutch communities in strengthening bilateral ties.
