The Hague
Narendra Modi on Saturday praised the deepening people-to-people relationship between India and Netherlands, saying the warmth and enthusiasm of the Indian diaspora in The Hague made him feel as though he was attending a festival back home.
Addressing members of the Indian community during his five-nation tour, Modi said, “Seeing so much love and enthusiasm, I forgot for a moment that I am in the Netherlands… It seems like The Hague has become a living symbol of Indian friendship.”
Drawing a cultural parallel between the two nations, Modi referred to the Netherlands’ iconic tulips and India’s lotus, saying both flowers symbolise beauty, resilience, and strength despite growing in different environments.
Highlighting global economic uncertainties, the prime minister said the world is grappling with a “decade of challenges” marked by the pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and an energy crisis. He said India and the Netherlands are working together to build trusted, transparent, and future-ready supply chains to strengthen global resilience.
Modi also underlined India’s rapid transformation in sectors such as AI, semiconductors, startups, healthcare, infrastructure, and clean energy, describing the country as a land of growing opportunities.
He said bilateral cooperation between India and the Netherlands is expanding across critical sectors including:
Referring to the proposed India–EU free trade agreement, Modi said it would further strengthen economic ties and position the Netherlands as a gateway for Indian businesses entering Europe.
He also called upon the Indian diaspora to invest more in India’s growth journey, assuring them of the government’s continued support.
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The Netherlands hosts one of Europe’s largest communities of Indian origin, including nearly 200,000 members of the Surinami-Hindustani community, whose cultural ties with India were specially acknowledged by the prime minister.
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