Netherlands and India ink 51 pacts, slam global terror

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held wide-ranging talks with visiting Dutch Prime Mark Rutte on Thursday after which both sides inked 51 pacts — many of them between private entities — in areas such as “knowledge institutions (including training for diplomats), water management, agri food and horticulture, hi-tech/IT/space, life sciences & health, smart cities, business and sustainability”.

Both leaders also condemned the global menace of terrorism, with a joint statement put out saying “the two leaders deplored the violence caused by Al Qaeda, Daesh/ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Tayabba, and their affiliates as well as terrorist groups threatening peace and security in South Asia and Europe.” The JeM and LeT are based in Pakistan while the Hizbul Mujahideen is a terrorist outfit in the Kashmir Valley. The strong joint stand against terror is being seen as a veiled message to Pakistan without naming it.

The Netherlands also signed the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) — a global initiative led by India — and became the 64th signatory member country. The joint statement issued hailed the Netherlands as India’s “Gateway to Europe”.

After the talks, PM Modi, in his media statement, said his commitment towards economic reforms would remain strong. He said besides bilateral matters, he and his Dutch counterpart discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest. Mr Modi also hailed the Netherlands for becoming part of the ISA. “I had called upon the Netherlands to join the ISA and I am happy to tell you that the country has become a member of it today,” PM Modi said.

In his comments, Dutch PM Rutte said there was a huge scope for the two countries to deepen cooperation in areas of trade and investment, clean energy, agriculture and smart cities.