WILLEMSTAD - Recently, Minister Cijntje received the Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of the Netherlands in The Hague, Honorable Reenat Sandhu, in the context of a working visit to Curaçao. Ambassador Sandhu came along with Honorary Consul Manohar Sawilani and an official from the Indian consulate here in Curaçao. The conversation took place in a friendly atmosphere and identified various business areas that could be favorable for Indian companies seeking new opportunities in our hemisphere, benefiting Curaçao's economy. The ambassador's message was "we want to collaborate with Curaçao."
India is one of the world's top 5 economies. It's also the largest democracy and has a population of 1.4 billion with a talented workforce and many skills. India receives a lot of foreign investment and has an international trade balance of 1 trillion (1,000,000,000). India also invests heavily in other markets to expand its potential and economy, offering possibilities for technical cooperation to other developing countries. All of this is available for Curaçao to leverage and take advantage of the opportunities this giant nation has to offer, especially considering our strategic geographic position, important regional digital connectivity, close proximity, and even the same time zone as the markets of North and South America. Many Indian technology companies are established in the Netherlands and are looking for ways to get closer to strategic markets in our continent.
Minister Cijntje provided Ambassador Sandhu with an overview of developments in Curaçao in the areas of renewable energy, the IT sector, financial services, agriculture, creative industries, and even wellness. Light manufacturing is also something that can be offered, and Minister Cijntje gave an overview of our free trade zone and how it can facilitate trade in the region. Minister Cijntje expressed to Ambassador Sandhu that an agenda will be developed based on the opportunities identified during the conversation and these will be discussed soon with the ambassador when the Minister is in The Hague in the near future, thus starting to stimulate exchanges between entities in Curaçao and those in India. The Ambassador invited Minister Cijntje to visit India in the future, and she will receive full cooperation from the Indian Embassy in The Hague.
