New opportunities will be created post-Covid for India, Netherlands: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that in the post-COVID world, new opportunities will be created where like-minded countries like India and Netherlands can build bilateral relations.

Speaking at the India-Netherlands Virtual Summit, PM Modi said: "Our democracy, rule of law are based on shared values. Our approach to global issues like climate change, terrorism and pandemics are similar. We are also building a convergence in new areas such as Indo-Pacific resilient supply chains and global digital governance. Our strategic partnership on water will give this a new dimension."

"I have complete faith that in the post-COVID world, some new opportunities will come to the fore, where like-minded countries like ours can build bilateral cooperation," he added.

He also thanked his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte for winning his fourth consecutive term at the office. He also thanked Rutte for taking care of the Indian diaspora during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is true that a large number of the Indian diaspora is residing in Europe. But in this COVID-19 pandemic, the way you thought about them and took care of them, I express my heartfelt gratitude and we will get to talk about many new opportunities during the COP26 and India-European Union summit," he added.

Earlier during the summit, Rutte lauded India's efforts in supporting Dutch investors during the pandemic, saying that the country's energy, creativity, hospitality are without equal.

"Your support helped support the continuation of trade between our countries even in those difficult times. We even appreciated the air bubble which was an agreement between our two countries and this enabled our national carrier to bring many Dutch and EU citizens back to Europe and return Indian citizens to India including many coming from Latin America," he said.