Dutch Foreign Trade Minister arriving tomorrow

New Delhi, Sep 2 (UNI) The Netherlands' Minister for Foreign Trade, Mrs C E G (Karien) Van Gennip, arrives here tomorrow on a five-day official visit to further strengthen bilateral economic relations, promote Indo-Dutch trade and investment and cooperation in the field of science and technology.

The visit comes nearly two weeks after the detention of 12 Indian nationals by the Dutch police on board a Mumbai-bound US airliner following a mid-air terror drama.

India had officially protested and summoned the Dutch Ambassador in New Delhi and lodged a protest against the detentions.

During her visit, the Dutch Minister will also go to Hyderabad and Chennai. She will be accompanied by a business delegation, headed by Mr Rutger Koopmans, Chairman of the Netherlands-Indian Chamber of Commerce and Trade (NICCT) and comprising companies from various sectors, mostly IT and life sciences.

In Delhi on September 4 and 5, the Dutch Minister will have discussions with Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath and Minister for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Vilas Muttemwar, the Netherlands embassy here said.

On September four, she will address a FICCI round-table on 'India-Netherlands: connecting innovative gateways'.

The Minister will also be accompanied by representatives of the Rijksmuseum, the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT).

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