Netherlands PM Mark Rutte to meet PM Modi in Delhi today

Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte will visit India on Thursday and Friday, with an aim to boost the economic and political cooperation between the two countries.

Rutte’s visit comes within a year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the European nation.

It will be Rutte’s second visit to India since June 2015 but the first after being re-elected as Prime Minister in 2017.

“The visit is expected to boost the economic and political cooperation between India and the Netherlands,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

It said Rutte would be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising deputy prime minister, minister for foreign trade and development cooperation, minister for infrastructure and water management, and minister for medical care.

In addition, about 231 business delegates representing 130 companies had registered to join the Trade Mission accompanying Rutte to India, the MEA said.

Besides the official engagements here, Rutte is likely to visit Bengaluru.

India and the Netherlands have a bilateral trade of USD 5.39 billion and they are likely to focus on increasing it further.

The Netherlands is the fifth largest investor in India with a cumulative investment of USD 23 billion from 2000 to Dec 2017.

The Netherlands is also home to a 2,35,000-strong Indian diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe.