Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Liesje Schreinemacher has described India as a 'big geopolitical player' for her country.

She praised Indian PM Narendra Modi for making his nation a “really important geopolitical player.”

She said  India and the Netherlands have a “very good economic partnership.”

Speaking on India-Netherlands ties, Schreinemacher told ANI, “For us, India is a very important geopolitical player, and that is why we really want to improve our relationship with India. Having said that, I believe that we do have already a very good economic cooperation, but also when it comes to the maritime security, this is why I’m here. And so I’m happy that I can really show our interest and the importance and the value that it has. Well, the economic relations amounts to about 20 billion euros, so that is a lot. And I believe that we can only grow that number, which is why I’m here, to really enhance these economic relations as well.”

She said: "For us, it’s very important that we see India really as a big geopolitical player and economic player here in the region. So when we talk about Indo-Pacific stability and security, we cannot do that without India. So we need India, and this is also why I’m here, to really enhance this cooperation when it comes to maritime security, but also, of course, as a minister for trade, to see where we can improve our economic relations. We already have good economic relations, but we can always improve it.”

India and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1947. Year 2022 marked the 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations.

"Today, India and the Netherlands enjoy strong political, economic & commercial relations. High level mutual exchanges have provided impetus to the multifaceted partnership between the two countries. Water, Agriculture and Health (WAH) are 3 priority sectors of cooperation besides technology and innovation," read the website of the Indian Embassy in the Netherlands.