India-Netherlands' direct focus on semiconductors, green hydrogen

The 12th India-Netherlands FOC was held in The Hague, Netherlands on Thursday, where the Indian delegation was led by Pawan Kapoor, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs. The Dutch delegation was led by Paul Huijts, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

The Foreign Ministry said in an official statement on Friday that the FOC provided an opportunity to review progress in bilateral relations and discuss the future agenda of cooperation. Both sides welcomed the excellent progress in all sectors and discussed ways forward in the priority areas of Water, Agriculture, and Health (WAH Agenda), Science and Technology, and High Technology and Innovation. Both sides agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations by focusing on new emerging technologies such as semiconductors and green hydrogen.

The two countries also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. During his visit to the Netherlands, Kapoor also visited Delft University of Technology, a premier institute in the field of research and education. Pawan Kapoor, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, visited Delft University of Technology, a leading technical university in the Netherlands, and had an engaging interaction with faculty, researchers, and Indian students, the Indian High Commission in The Hague wrote on social media platform Strong collaboration between Indian institutions was highlighted.

During this period, Kapoor also visited the Peace Palace in The Hague and held meetings with Registrar of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Philippe Gautier and Judge Dalveer Bhandari and discussed the work of the ICJ and India's importance towards peaceful resolution of disputes.
(Report. Shashwat Tiwari)