Jaishankar, Modi Congratulate New Dutch Leaders, Eye Stronger Ties

In an X post, he said, "Best wishes to Tom Berendsen on being sworn in as the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands. Look forward to working together."

Brendsen's appointment comes as Rob Jetten assumed the office as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands on Monday.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Rob Jetten on assuming office as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, expressing confidence that bilateral ties would gain further momentum under his leadership.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Congratulations Mr. Rob Jetten on assuming office of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. India and the Netherlands share an extensive relationship across diverse sectors. I look forward to working closely with you to add further momentum to the growing ties between our two countries and people."

Jetten was sworn in as the Netherlands' youngest-ever prime minister on February 23 (Monday), heading a newly formed minority coalition government.

According to a report by Euronews, Dutch King Willem-Alexander administered the oath of office to Jetten and his ministers at the Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, wishing the new administration "good luck in uncertain times".

The three-party minority coalition, comprising Jetten's centrist liberal party Democrats 66 (D66), the Christian Democrats and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), took 117 days to negotiate and finalise.

Euronews reported that the coalition controls 66 of the 150 seats in the Dutch lower house, meaning the government will need opposition backing to pass legislation. The largest opposition bloc, the GroenLinks-PvdA alliance, has already voiced strong objections to proposed cuts in healthcare and welfare spending.

The snap parliamentary election that brought Jetten to power was held after the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) withdrew from the previous coalition government, triggering its collapse. D66 narrowly edged out PVV in a closely fought race.

Jetten previously served as minister for climate and energy policy in the last coalition led by former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose government fell in 2023 amid a crisis over asylum policy.

During his campaign, Jetten called for a return to "progressive" politics, with a focus on expanding green energy, easing housing shortages by building new towns and accelerating home construction, and prioritising preventive healthcare to reduce system strain.

On migration, he pledged to strengthen integration programmes and explore allowing asylum claims to be processed from outside the European Union. He has also signalled a desire to restore the Netherlands' central role within the EU, stating during the campaign that the country must return "to the heart of Europe".

Jetten has additionally emphasised the importance of maintaining strong transatlantic ties, particularly with the United States, a key trading partner for the Dutch economy.

- ANI