Rajnath Singh Tells Netherlands Counterpart To Stop Arms Supplies To 'Terrorism Sponsor' Pakistan

Last Updated:March 18, 2025, 18:44 IST

A source from the Defence Ministry told News18 that Singh’s message, delivered during Berkelmans' official visit to New Delhi, was "loud and clear"

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Dutch counterpart Ruben Berkelmans in New Delhi on Monday. (Image via X)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday urged his Dutch counterpart Ruben Berkelmans to stop supplying military technology or equipment to Pakistan, citing Islamabad’s involvement in “sponsoring terrorism" as the key reason for the request.

A source from the Defence Ministry told News18 that Singh’s message, delivered during Berkelmans’ official visit to New Delhi, was “loud and clear."

Singh made the request during a discussion with Berkelmans on enhancing bilateral cooperation between India and the Netherlands in areas such as defence, security, information exchanges, the Indo-Pacific, and emerging technologies.

During the meeting, Singh also highlighted the Netherlands’ previous supply of two former Tripartite-class minehunters—HNLMS Middelburg (M858) and HNLMS Haarlem (M853)—to Pakistan in 2022.

Earlier today, a press release from the Press Information Bureau (PIB) noted that Singh and Berkelmans explored potential areas for deeper cooperation in sectors such as shipbuilding, equipment, and space. They discussed optimising the complementary skills, technology, and scale of both countries in these fields.

The two leaders also discussed various aspects of bilateral cooperation, including defence, security, information exchanges, and emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).

After their meeting, Singh shared his thoughts on social media X, stating, “We reviewed the full range of India-Netherlands defence cooperation. We look forward to further deepen and elevate our defence partnership. The areas of our discussion included defence, cyber security, Indo-Pacific and emerging technologies like AI."

News world Rajnath Singh Tells Netherlands Counterpart To Stop Arms Supplies To 'Terrorism Sponsor' Pakistan