In one of his starkest warnings over the ongoing war in West Asia and past challenges the world has faced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday told the Indian diaspora in the Netherlands that decades
of hard-won progress against poverty stood at serious risk if the world’s cascading crises were not urgently reversed.
Addressing a community event in The Hague during the second leg of his five-nation European tour, he said, “The world is dealing with new challenges.”
“Whenever India succeeds, the entire humanity benefits from it. But today, humanity is also facing many major challenges. We are witnessing how the world is struggling with new challenges one after another. First came the coronavirus pandemic, then wars began to erupt, and now the world is facing an energy crisis. This decade is increasingly turning into a decade of disasters for the world,” he said.
We can all see that if these conditions are not changed swiftly, the achievements of many past decades could be undone. A very large section of the world’s population could once again be pushed into the quagmire of poverty.
“In such global circumstances, the world today is speaking about resilient supply chains. And in this context, India and the Netherlands are working together to build a trusted, transparent, and future-ready supply chain. From energy security to water security, the Netherlands and India are cooperating closely. Our collaboration in the field of green hydrogen is especially significant. Moreover, the historic trade agreement between India and the European Union will further strengthen the partnership between India and the Netherlands,” PM Modi added.
“And all of you will benefit from this as well. The Netherlands will become the natural gateway for Indian businesses entering Europe. In this journey, our diaspora can serve as a trusted bridge. I say this because the diaspora understands both India’s ambitions and Europe’s standards. This will also create greater opportunities for Indians settled here to engage with high-quality products from India,” he said.
