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Netherlands Ambassador to India Marisa Gerards met Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani (PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM) in New Delhi on Wednesday and discussed strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, collaboration between defence industries and research centres, and the maritime situation in West Asia, the Netherlands Embassy said.
In a post on X, the Netherlands Embassy for India, Nepal and Bhutan said the meeting was attended by Defence Attach Captain (Navy) Geordie Klein and Political Counsellor Arjen Nauta. Discussions focused on the growing IN-NL bilateral relationship, underpinned by the Strategic Partnership and the Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation, as well as the EUIndia Security and Defence Partnership announced earlier this year. Both sides highlighted opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Dutch and Indian defence industries and research centres, particularly in specialised niche areas, the embassy said. During the meeting, Gerards also highlighted upcoming defence exhibitions, including the Netherlands Exhibition on Defence and Security in Rotterdam on November 18-19, 2026, and Aero India in Bengaluru from February 8-12, 2027. The embassy said the exhibitions would provide platforms for identifying new business opportunities and fostering closer ties between the defence industries of the two countries. The discussions also covered the maritime situation in West Asia, with Gerards briefing General Subramani on the prepositioning of the Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen in the region. Finally, they exchanged views on the maritime situation in West Asia. Ambassador Gerards briefed General Subramani on the prepositioning of the Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen in the region. The Netherlands and India continue to explore opportunities to deepen defence cooperation and advance their strategic partnership, the embassy said. General Subramani was appointed Chief of Defence Staff on May 31, 2026. Before assuming the position, he served as Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat. Earlier, on September 24, Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Patil and Netherlands Vice Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management Jaap Slootmaker co-chaired a bilateral meeting on the Strategic Partnership on Water in New Delhi. The meeting reviewed cooperation in the water sector, with a particular focus on technical collaboration for Gujarat's Kalpasar Project. Two tripartite memoranda of understanding were signed involving the Central Water Commission, the Gujarat government's Kalpasar Department, and Dutch knowledge institutions Deltares and TU Delft to facilitate technical cooperation and knowledge sharing for the project. (ANI)
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