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India and the Netherlands agreed on a strategic partnership roadmap covering defence, technology and maritime security, signalling a major shift in ties as both sides move beyond past concerns over Dutch military engagement with Pakistan toward deeper defence industrial cooperation
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to The Hague, India and the Netherlands crossed a strategic threshold that would have seemed improbable just a decade ago. The two countries agreed on a roadmap to elevate bilateral ties into a strategic partnership, backed by 13 agreements spanning defence, technology, maritime security, trade, innovation and critical infrastructure cooperation.
At the centre of the new engagement lies a sector once weighed down by history — defence industrial cooperation. For years, India's strategic community viewed Dutch military ties through the prism of Pakistan's naval acquisitions.
Dutch-origin naval technologies and platforms had long found their way into Pakistan's fleet: mine countermeasure vessels, offshore patrol systems, radar technologies and submarine-related expertise. In 2022, the Netherlands transferred retired Alkmaar-class minehunters to Pakistan, reinforcing New Delhi's concerns about Dutch defence engagement in the region.
The emerging India–Netherlands convergence is being driven less by legacy alignments and more by present-day realities: maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, protection of underwater infrastructure, resilient supply chains, advanced technologies, and Europe's changing strategic outlook
Yet geopolitics has a way of reshaping old equations and forging new ties.
The emerging India–Netherlands convergence is being driven less by legacy alignments and more by present-day realities: maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, protection of underwater infrastructure, resilient supply chains, advanced technologies, and Europe's changing strategic outlook.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi and his Dutch counterpart, Rob Jetten, concluded the signing of the strategic partnership roadmap, signalling that both sides are now prepared to move beyond transactional ties toward a long-term strategic framework. A key element is defence industrial collaboration — an area where both countries believe complementarities outweigh past hesitations.
The groundwork had already begun months earlier. In December last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Dutch Foreign Minister David Van Weel, where a Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation was exchanged. The understanding envisaged a Defence Industrial Roadmap focused on technology collaboration, co-development and co-production of military platforms and systems.
The maritime dimension is particularly significant.
The Netherlands possesses deep expertise in naval engineering, shipbuilding, underwater surveillance, port logistics and maritime domain awareness. India, meanwhile, is rapidly expanding its naval capabilities as it seeks to secure critical sea lanes and underwater assets across the Indian Ocean Region.
In an important signal of this growing maritime partnership, Major General Rob De Wit, Deputy Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy recently underlined the scope for collaboration, in protecting underwater infrastructure such as seabed cables and energy pipelines. Speaking during the visit of the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS De Ruyter to Kochi, De Wit noted that the two countries could jointly enhance situational awareness of seabed activities — a concern that has acquired strategic urgency globally after repeated incidents involving undersea infrastructure sabotage in Europe and elsewhere.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi and his Dutch counterpart, Rob Jetten, concluded the signing of the strategic partnership roadmap, signalling that both sides are now prepared to move beyond transactional ties toward a long-term strategic framework
For India, the issue is no longer abstract. The country's digital economy, energy flows and financial networks increasingly depend on secure underwater cable systems and maritime infrastructure. As geopolitical contestation deepens in the Indo-Pacific, safeguarding seabed assets has become central to national security planning.
The Dutch, with their centuries-old maritime tradition and advanced naval technologies, see India not merely as a market but as a strategic Indo-Pacific partner. India, on its part, sees value in engaging European middle powers willing to contribute to maritime stability without the rigid alliance politics of the Cold War era.
What makes the new partnership notable is that it reflects a broader transformation underway in Europe's approach toward India. Nations such as the Netherlands increasingly view India as an indispensable strategic actor in balancing global supply chains, securing maritime trade routes and shaping emerging technologies.
Trade and technology remain equally important pillars. The Netherlands is already among India's largest European trading partners and a major source of foreign investment. Dutch strengths in semiconductors, green hydrogen, water management, agriculture technology and logistics align closely with India's developmental priorities. Still, the defence partnership will be watched most carefully.
Strategic trust cannot be built overnight, especially when historical baggage exists. Sections within India's strategic establishment remain cautious about the Netherlands past military engagement with Pakistan. But officials on both sides appear determined to define ties in terms of future interests rather than historical discomfort.
The symbolism of the moment was unmistakable in The Hague: a relationship once constrained by caution is now being recast through strategy, technology and maritime security
In many ways, the India–Netherlands partnership reflects the changing geometry of global power. Traditional alliances are becoming less rigid, while issue-based coalitions are gaining ground. Maritime democracies with technological strengths increasingly find common cause in securing trade routes, critical infrastructure and resilient economies.
For India, the outreach to the Netherlands is also part of a wider effort to deepen strategic engagement across Europe beyond the traditional big powers. For the Dutch, partnering with India offers both economic opportunity and geopolitical relevance in the Indo-Pacific century.
The symbolism of the moment was unmistakable in The Hague: a relationship once constrained by caution is now being recast through strategy, technology and maritime security.
Manish Kumar Jha is a Consulting & Contributing Editor for SP's Aviation, SP's Land Forces and SP's Naval Forces and a security expert. He writes on national security, military technology, strategic affairs & policies.
