India's aspirations ‘no longer limited to its borders’: Modi to diaspora in Netherlands

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Updated - May 16, 2026 11:38 pm IST - The Hague Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves as he arrives to participate in a community programme, in The Hague on Saturday, May 16, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI Describing India as a “land of opportunities”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (May 16, 2026) said that the country is undergoing an “unprecedented transformation” and its aspirations are “no longer limited to its borders”. Addressing the Indian community in The Hague, the Prime Minister also said that India is dreaming big and its youth aspires to reach the sky. Mr. Modi also met King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima on Saturday (May 16, 2026) and discussed issues of mutual interest. He is also scheduled to meet his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten. “Met His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima at the Royal Palace. It was wonderful exchanging perspectives on boosting India-Netherlands friendship across key sectors like technology, innovation, sustainable growth, commerce and water resources,” Mr. Modi posted on X after the meeting. He said that India and the Netherlands are “connected by shared interests and a shared belief in building a future-ready planet.” Both sides noted the close cooperation in the areas of sustainability, climate action, digital technology, innovation, fintech and blue economy, and expressed commitment towards further strengthening India–Netherlands relations, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X. The Netherlands also handed back 11th-century Chola dynasty copper plates to India, in an event attended by Mr. Modi, signifying the strengthening of ties between the two countries. The 21 copper plates, belonging to the times of Rajaraja Chola I and brought to the Netherlands in the 1700s from present day Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu which was then under Dutch control, are considered the most significant surviving records of the Chola dynasty and are among the important artefacts of Tamil heritage held anywhere outside the country. India has been pursuing the return of the plates, known in the Netherlands as the Leiden Plates, since 2012. The Prime Minister’s visit to the European nation is his second trip to the country after a 2017 tour and comes at what officials described as an “important juncture” in India-Netherlands ties. Officials in the Ministry of External Affairs said the visit carries a “rich and substantive agenda” and is expected to consolidate the strategic dimensions of the partnership that have emerged through sustained engagement between the two countries. India and the Netherlands have significantly expanded cooperation in recent years beyond traditional sectors such as trade, investment and the priority areas of water, agriculture and health. Mr. Modi arrived in the Netherlands on Friday (May 15) – after a brief stopover in the UAE – on the second leg of his five-nation tour to further deepen bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, defence and renewable energy. Other countries in the official tour include Sweden, Norway, and Italy. Highlighting that India and the Netherlands are working together to create a trusted, transparent, and future-ready supply chain, Mr. Modi told the Indian diaspora in his over 40-minute speech that the Netherlands will become the “natural gateway” for Indian businesses to enter Europe and added that the Indian diaspora can serve as a trusted bridge in this journey. "From energy security to water security, the Netherlands and India are working together. Our cooperation on green hydrogen is very important. And the historic trade agreement between India and the EU will further strengthen the partnership between India and the Netherlands," he added. He urged all “friends of India” in the European country to increase cooperation with India as much as possible. "This will also increase India's potential, and the return on your investments will also be higher. This is Modi's guarantee," he said, amid applause from the audience. "Today, our India is dreaming big. Today, the country is say

India's aspirations ‘no longer limited to its borders’: Modi to diaspora in Netherlands

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India's aspirations ‘no longer limited to its borders’: Modi to diaspora in Netherlands

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