Netherlands: Jaishankar meets Dutch political parties' representatives, discuss India-EU ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met representatives of Dutch political parties and discussed "future of multilateralism" and various regional issues.

Jaishnkar, who is on a two-day visit to the Netherlands, also discussed India and European Union ties with the representatives.

"An interesting exchange of views with Dutch political parties. Thank you Chair Foreign Affairs Committee @piadijkstra (Pietje Aafke Dijkstra). Discussed the future of multilateralism, India-EU ties and regional issues. Shared our perspectives on development and governance," he tweeted.

Earlier, Jaishankar met Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok and held a discussion on the global situation.

"Thank FM of Netherlands @ministerBlok for a great discussion on the global situation. Specially appreciate our visit together to the @mauritshuis Art Museum. Our exchanges brought out how much we share in our perspectives of the world," Jaishankar tweeted.

"Economic and commercial relations provide a strong underpinning of bilateral cooperation. During the recently concluded State visit, the largest ever trade delegation comprising of 250 members from 140 companies and organisations accompanied the Dutch Royals to India," the statement by the government before Jaishnakar's visit said.

India and the Netherlands have a long history of friendly bilateral relations going back to more than 400 years, encompassing many areas of shared interest. The Netherlands is one of the first three countries that established diplomatic relations with independent India in 1947.

The two countries have witnessed a series of high-level exchanges in recent years. Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima concluded a highly successful State visit to India from October 14-18.

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited India in May 2018 along with a high-level delegation comprising four Cabinet ministers and the Mayor of the Hague. He was also accompanied by a trade mission comprising of 130 companies and institutions and nearly 200 trade representatives.

Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Rutte also met on December 1, 2018 on the sidelines of the G20 in Buenos Aires and held discussions on boosting economic and cultural ties between India and the Netherlands.

The Netherlands was the third-largest investor in India in FY 2018-2019 with an investment worth USD 3.87 billion.The cumulative investments from the Netherlands to India in the period from April 2000 - June 2019 amounts to $28.7 billion.

The Netherlands is also a major investment destination for Indian companies with a total investment by Indian companies estimated over $12 billion as in March 2018.