Dutch Royals on 5-day India visit

Relations between India and the Netherlands are set to get a further boost during the five-day state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maixima from October 14, during which they will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The royals are visiting India at the invitation of President Kovind.

This visit of King Willem-Alexander would be the first State visit to India, following his ascension to the throne in 2013.

They will also be called on by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The King and Queen will be accompanied on their visit by a senior Ministerial delegation.

Besides the official programme in Delhi, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will also visit Mumbai and Kerala.

India and The Netherlands have a bilateral trade turnover of $12.87 billion (2018-2019). The Netherlands is the 5th largest investor in India with a cumulative investment of $23 billion for the period 2000 to December 2017.

The Netherlands is also home to a 235,000 strong Indian diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe.

The royal couple will also attend the Inaugural Session of 25th Technology Summit in New Delhi. The Netherlands is the partner country for this Summit.

The royal couple would be accompanied by about 140 business houses for this technology and innovation fair, representing various sectors, including agriculture, water, health-care and climate change.IANS