Dutch Minister Open to Collaborating with India on Dual-Use Technology

A key player in the global semiconductor industry aiming to strengthen its presence in the Indo-Pacific, the Netherlands seeks to integrate its defence sector with India through collaboration in dual-use technologies such as drones, AI, and semiconductors. In an exclusive interview with TOI, Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans stated that both nations are working towards elevating their relationship to a strategic partnership, emphasizing the need for a strong defence and security foundation.

Ready for synergy with India on dual-use tech: Dutch minister | MSN

Brekelmans also highlighted that the Netherlands, a leading supporter of Kyiv in Europe, advocates for robust security assurances for Ukraine to counter Russia’s “imperial ambitions” and prevent a regression to 19th-century geopolitics.

“Both have strong maritime sectors and there’s more we could do on this. There are also some dual-use technologies, for example in drones, AI, semiconductors where there’s a lot of innovation in the Netherlands, also in India. It’d be interesting to look for synergies. India very often doesn’t just have knowledge but also the scale to produce in large numbers. That’s what we need right now. We need to ramp up our defence industries and if there’s also capacity from the Indian side, it can be important,’’ stated the minister ahead of his meeting with Rajnath Singh this week. In 2023, the Netherlands implemented restrictions on exporting chip equipment, reportedly due to pressure from the Biden administration, which aimed to limit supplies to China.

When asked about the Indo-Pacific, where the Netherlands was among the first European nations to establish its own policy, Brekelmans stated that the Dutch plan to conduct maritime exercises in the region every two years. “So, we often have one of our frigates visiting multiple countries, India being one of the important ones of course. We also do air exercises, with our F-35s, to show indeed that we share the same values and principles. We have more people to people contacts with India and others, more military attaches to strengthen cooperation,’’ he said.

Regarding the potential threat to the transatlantic alliance posed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies, Brekelmans stated that his counterpart, Pete Hegseth, emphasized NATO’s heightened relevance today and supported Trump’s call for increased European defense spending. However, he cautioned that the policy of reciprocal tariffs would be detrimental to all parties involved.

“There can be some tactical moves by the US to push allies and friends to do certain things and that’s fine. But it’s important that we remain close friends at the strategic level. It’s positive that the US has stressed multiple times that Nato is important. If there are some strategic decisions made by the US, for example to promote focus on Asia, it’s always better to do that together than make any unilateral move,’’ he said.

With the Netherlands pledging 10 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, Brekelmans emphasized the need for sufficient military strength to secure a lasting peace agreement. “A peace deal should not lay the ground for future Russian aggression. Not just in Ukraine, but also other parts of Europe. It’s also important to have credible deterrence at other Nato borders. We have had 80 years of peace and we want another 80 years of the same,’’ said the minister.

(This Article was originally published by MSN)