Hyderabad, May 1 : Marten van den Berg, the Netherlands Ambassador to India on Wednesday, said the ties between India and his country were growing stronger each day.
He described India as a key strategic partner for the Netherlands - both economically and geopolitically.
"Our nations have the drive and expertise to tackle common societal challenges together, while creating opportunities in areas such as agriculture, water, smart cities, high-tech, startups, healthcare among others," he said while speaking at a session on "Dutch-India Dialogue on Trade & Technology" jointly organized by the Indian School of Business and the Netherlands Business Support Office here on Wednesday, in connection with the National Day celebrations of the Netherlands.
The session highlighted how bilateral discussion could help make technological revolution more inclusive in both the countries.
It was also revealed that the Netherlands emerged as the third largest foreign direct investor in India for 2017-2018 with investments valued at $2.67 billion and the European nation was the second largest destination for foreign investment by Indian companies, after Singapore, with investments worth $12.8 billion in 2017.
India and the Netherlands had bilateral trade of $8.77 billion during 2017-2018. Indian exports to the Netherlands grew at 14.7 per cent, while Indian imports grew at 18.2 per cent. The Netherlands is currently India's 4th largest trading partner in the European Union, after the UK, Germany and Belgium.
Telanagana's Principal Secretary, Industries and Information Technology, Jayesh Ranjan said the interests of Telangana and the global focus of the Netherlands seemed to be well aligned. He said a number of potentially strong and fruitful action plans for partnership and collaboration can be worked out through discussions and dialogue.
Prof. Anand Nandkumar, Academic Director, Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the ISB, said the advent of new technology creates more opportunities for international trade and international trade facilitates access to global technologies that accelerate local technology development.
V. Rajanna, Senior Vice President & Global Head, Technology Business Unit, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Ajay Odathekal, Trade Commissioner for the Netherlands in Hyderabad, also spoke.
