President Kovind accorded ceremonial welcome by King and Queen of Netherlands

Amsterdam, April 5 (PTI): President Ram Nath Kovind and First Lady Savita Kovind were accorded a ceremonial welcome by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands on Tuesday as they began their official engagements in the European country.

President Kovind arrived in Amsterdam on Monday on the final leg of his two-nation visit – the first presidential trip to the Netherlands after 34 years since the visit of President R Venkataraman in 1988 – during which he will hold discussions with the top leadership of the country.

“President Ram Nath Kovind and First Lady Mrs Savita Kovind were accorded a ceremonial welcome by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, his office tweeted on Tuesday.

President Kovind also laid a wreath at Dam Square, Amsterdam.

During his visit to the Netherlands from April 4 to 7 at the invitation of King Alexander and Queen Maxima, President Kovind will hold discussions with them and Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

His visit assumes significance as India and the Netherlands are celebrating 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022.

After his arrival on Monday, President Kovind visited Keukenhof, one of the world’s largest flower gardens, where he was received by Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra.

“President Kovind was received at Keukenhof by the Dutch Foreign Minister & Deputy PM @WBHoekstra. President Kovind spoke about the multifaceted partnership between the two countries & vibrant people-to-people connect,” President Kovind’s Twitter account posted.

“President Ram Nath Kovind and the First Lady Smt Savita Kovind visited Keukenhof in Amsterdam. The President named a new breed of yellow tulips Maitri’~ symbolic of the special & enduring friendship between India and the Netherlands,” another tweet read.

In 2021, during the Virtual Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Rutte, a Strategic Partnership on Water was launched to enhance the level of engagement between the two sides in this important sector.

Cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, health, urban development, science and technology are other important pillars of the bilateral relationship.

The Netherlands is also an important economic and commercial partner of India with the country being India’s fourth largest FDI source. It also hosts the largest Indian diaspora in continental Europe.

President Kovind arrived here from Turkmenistan where he held talks with his Turkmen counterpart Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the two sides agreed to expand bilateral trade and energy cooperation to further strengthen the multifaceted partnership. He is the first Indian President to visit independent Turkmenistan.