Amsterdam: After
wooing top American CEOs to invest in India, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Tuesday invited Dutch companies to invest in India which he said
is the "land of opportunities."
PM Rutte receives PM Narendra Modi at his official residence | Photo Credit: Twitter
Focusing on trade, technology and investment, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi interacted with CEOs of major Dutch companies
after holding bilateral talks with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.
During his interaction with top Dutch CEOs, Modi
said the reforms introduced by his government seek to enhance ease of
doing business and bring standards at par with global standards.
Focussing on trade, technology and investment.
He described the Netherlands as India's "natural partner" in its economic development.
The two countries signed three MoUs in the fields of social security, water cooperation and cultural cooperation.
The prime minister, who is in Netherlands on the
final leg of his three-nation tour, said India has made 7,000 reforms
for attracting FDI in various sectors including real estate and defence.
Water is a prime sector for cooperation between the
two countries, Modi said, referring to a joint water technology
initiative, Dutch Indian Water Alliance for Leadership Initiative
(DIWALI).
Irrigation and water conservation are the areas where the two countries can boost cooperation, he said.
Seeking investments, he said pension funds are especially welcome to India.
During the bilateral talks, PM Modi and Dutch PM
Mark Rutte reaffirmed their commitment to climate change accord and
strengthen cooperation in developing renewable energy.
PM Modi thanked the key European nation for backing India's Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) membership.
"Your support helped India in getting the membership of the MTCR," Modi said.
India joined the MTCR as a full member last year.
MTCR membership enables India to buy high-end missile technology and
also enhances its joint ventures with Russia.
"Ties between India and the Netherlands are very
old. Our bilateral relations are very strong," he said. He said that
relations between India and the Netherlands are century old and the two
countries will keep on moving towards stronger ties.
PM Modi said the Netherlands is the 5th largest
investment partner globally and in the last three years it has emerged
as the 3rd largest source of FDI for the country.
In the joint address, Rutte said India's emergence
as a global power is a "welcome development from both political and
economic point of views."
"Political because of the values we share with respect of rule of laws and security," he said.
He commended India for its commitment to renewal
energy and to the Paris climate agreement. He praised Modi for
announcing major sustainable initiatives like 'Clean India' and 'Make in
India'.
"The Netherlands is a key partner to help India
achieve its goals," he said. "India is now a global economic power. It
is world's second biggest economy and Indian market has a lot of
potential. We have a plenty to offer to India too," he said.
He said Europe is India's biggest trading partner and 20 percent of India's export to Europe enters through the Netherlands.
"So, for India, we are an entry (point) to Europe," he said.
The Dutch premier said the ties are only expected to
grow in coming years. This year, the two countries are celebrating 70
years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations.
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