‘Bilateral partnership growing rapidly’, says PM Modi after meeting his Netherlands counterpart

Johannesburg, Nov 23 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met his Netherlands counterpart Dick Schoof on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg and noted that the bilateral partnership between the two nations is growing rapidly in sectors like energy, technology, innovation water resources.

PM Modi stated that India and the Netherlands will keep working to deepen trade and investment linkages in the times to come.

“Met Mr. Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Government of the Netherlands on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. The bilateral partnership between our nations is growing rapidly in areas like water resources, innovation, technology and energy. We will keep working to deepen trade and investment linkages in the times to come,” PM Modi posted on X.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the possibilities of expanding mutual investments through the Strategic Partnership.

Dick Schoof stated that the Netherlands and India work together in the trade, security and innovation sectors.

“The Netherlands and India work closely together in the areas of trade, security and innovation. We are the fourth largest investor in India worldwide. That is why it was good to meet briefly with Narendra Modi in South Africa during the G20 summit. We discussed the possibilities of expanding mutual investments through the Strategic Partnership and my participation in the India-AI Impact Summit in New Delhi next year. The Netherlands and India will continue to work closely together in the long term. In a rapidly changing world, it is important that we can continue to count on each other,” Schoof posted on X.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi addressed the third session of the G20 Summit on “A Fair and Just Future for All – Critical Minerals; Decent Work; Artificial Intelligence.” During the session, he called for a fundamental change in the way critical technologies are promoted.

PM Modi noted that such technology applications must be ‘human-centric’ rather than ‘finance-centric’, ‘global’ rather than ‘national’, and based on ‘open source’ rather than ‘exclusive models’.

PM Modi expressed hope that the G20 in the next few years will develop a global framework for talent mobility.

He stated, “In this age of AI, we must rapidly shift our approach from ‘Jobs of Today’ to ‘Capabilities of Tomorrow’. Unlocking talent mobility is essential for rapid innovation. We made progress on this topic at the Delhi G20. We hope that in the next few years, the G20 will develop a global framework for talent mobility.”

PM Modi met his Jamaican counterpart, Andrew Holness, and discussed the growing partnership between the two nations. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “Interacted with Mr. Andrew Holness, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. India and Jamaica are bound by a friendship shaped by history and enriched by cultural linkages. Our partnership continues to grow with a deep commitment to collective progress.”

PM Modi also held a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg on Sunday and discussed bilateral partnership, particularly in boosting linkages of commerce, culture, investment and diversifying cooperation in technology, skilling, AI, critical minerals and other sectors.

Following their talks, PM Modi in a post on X wrote, “Had an excellent meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. We reviewed the full range of the India-South Africa partnership, especially in boosting linkages of commerce, culture, investment and diversifying cooperation in technology, skilling, AI, critical minerals and more. Congratulated President Ramaphosa for South Africa’s successful G20 Presidency.”

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (Economic Relations) Sudhakar Dalela and other officials were present at the meeting.

PM Modi also participated in the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Leaders’ Meeting in Johannesburg. During the meeting, he emphasised the need for close coordination between India, South Africa and Brazil in the fight against terrorism and said that there is no place for double standards while fighting terrorism. He proposed the institutionalisation of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) National Security Advisor (NSA) level meeting.

–IANS

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