Modi holds meeting with Netherlands King and Queen Máxima

Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted sporting ties between India and Netherlands on Saturday (May 16, 2026), during the second leg of his five-nation tour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a meeting with Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.

Terming India a “land of opportunities,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is undergoing an unprecedented transformation and its aspirations are “no longer limited to its borders”.

Addressing the Indian community in The Hague, the Prime Minister also said India is dreaming big and its youth aspires to reach the sky.“Today India is saying we don’t just want transformation, we want the best, we want the fastest. That is why when there are unlimited aspirations in India, the efforts are also becoming limitless,” he said in his over 40-minute speech, amid applause from the audience.

“Today’s India is going through a phase of unprecedented transformation,” the Prime Minister said. “You must have seen recently that India hosted the world’s largest and most successful AI Summit. Before that, India also successfully hosted the G20 Summit. And this was not a one-time event. This has now become the character of today’s India.” Mr. Modi praised India’s start-up ecosystem, saying India has the third-largest start-up network in the world.

He noted that the Dutch cricket team performed well during the T20 World Cup held in India. Mr. Modi also said India and the Netherlands can coordinate in the global arena and work together on securing global projects. He added that the two countries are collaborating to build a trusted and transparent supply chain

Earlier, Mr. Modi was received at the airport by Rear Admiral Ludger Brummelaar, Adjutant-General and Chief of the Military Household of His Majesty the King; Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen; and India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands Kumar Tuhin, along with other senior officials of the Dutch Government.

“The India-Netherlands partnership has grown in strategic sectors, including technology, innovation, defence, security, semiconductors, renewable energy, education and the maritime domain,” the MEA said.

The PM’s visit to the European nation from May 15 to 17 is his second trip to the country after his 2017 visit and comes at an “important juncture” in India-Netherlands ties, officials said.(updated on 16th May 2026)