Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Amsterdam on Friday, May 15, on the second leg of a five-nation diplomatic tour that will also take him to Sweden, Norway and Italy. He was received at the airport by Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen, a senior representative of the Dutch royal household, and India's ambassador to the Netherlands, marking the beginning of a visit that officials on both sides have described as arriving at an "important juncture" in bilateral relations.
Modi is scheduled to hold talks with his Dutch counterpart, Prime Minister Rob Jetten, and to call on King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The two prime ministers are expected to sign a cooperation agreement covering areas including semiconductors, water management, clean energy, defence and maritime security. Modi noted on arrival that the visit comes shortly after India and the European Union finalised a Free Trade Agreement, calling it a major boost to trade and investment linkages. The Netherlands is already one of India's largest trade partners in Europe, with bilateral trade reaching $27.8 billion in 2024–25 and cumulative Dutch foreign direct investment in India standing at $55.6 billion, making the Netherlands India's fourth-largest investor overall.
Beyond economics, the visit carries clear strategic dimensions. Analysts describe India as positioning itself as a reliable alternative partner to Russia and China for European countries navigating a rapidly shifting global order — a role made more pressing by ongoing disruptions to international trade stemming from the war involving Iran. The Netherlands is home to more than 90,000 non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin, as well as over 200,000 members of the Suriname-Hindustani community, a diaspora with roots in South Asia that has lived in the Netherlands for generations. Modi is expected to address a community gathering during the visit.
The trip does not come without controversy. Modi arrives on the back of a significant election victory for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the large eastern Indian state of West Bengal — a result, however, that opposition parties and election monitors say was marred by fraud, manipulation and the disenfranchisement of millions of voters, disproportionately affecting Muslim citizens. Human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have long raised concerns about the rights of religious minorities in India under Modi's government. Dutch and European analysts suggest that while these issues are unlikely to be raised publicly during the visit, there is an expectation that they may be discussed more quietly as the bilateral relationship deepens over time.