Indian President Ram Nath Kovind is in the Netherlands today

The trip is a part of his itinerary of second leg of his 7-day two nation tour.

President Ram Nath Kovind visited Turkmenistan from April 1-3 during the first leg of his tour. However, his trip of Netherlands is of special importance as this year, India and the Netherlands celebrate 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relationship.

The two countries that have shared brotherhood in ideals of democracy, pluralism and the rule of law are working together in the fields of Water Management, Agriculture and Food Processing, Healthcare Cooperation, Urban Development and Smart Cities, Renewable Energy, Science & Technology and Space and Counter-Terrorism and Cyber Security.

In 2021, a new landmark in Indo-Dutch water cooperation was reached with the ‘Strategic Partnership on Water’ project. To find solutions for water-related challenges, a Dutch Indo Water Alliance Leadership Initiative (DIWALI) has been set up.

In the field of agriculture, both sides have agreed to set up 25 Centre of Excellences (CoEs) in agri-related centres by 2025. The two countries also have also signed a MoU to promote technical cooperation in the fields of Spatial Planning, Water Management and Mobility Management, and are working together in the field of digital health.

Culturally, too, India and the Netherlands are well connected. The Netherlands is home to the second largest Indian diaspora in Europe after the UK – it is the largest on mainland Europe. This includes two lakh strong Surinami-Hindustani community of Indian origin, with Indian students ranking among the top three when it comes to foreign students going there to pursue higher studies.