G20 declaration a compromise, says Dutch PM in Bengaluru

NT Bureau, Agencies

Bengaluru: Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte on Monday said the G20 New Delhi declaration was clearly a compromise, which is always the case with such a multilateral forum, but he was happy with the fact that there were some key elements in it, and that India was able to broker it.

Rutte, who participated in the G20 summit hosted by India in New Delhi on September 9 and 10, visited Bengaluru as part of an economic mission.

"It was a compromise clearly, and that's always the case when you come together with multilateral teams like the G20. But I was happy with the fact that there were some key elements in the declaration, which were important.

“But obviously if I would have written it myself, it would have been different, but I wasn't the only one; we were with a whole bunch of people. And it is good that India was able to broker a declaration," Rutte said.

During his visit to Bengaluru, the Netherlands PM met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar , Ministers MB Patil and Priyank Kharge, and top government officials.

Ahead of his visit to see a mural art piece created by Indian and Dutch artists on Church Street here to mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between the Netherlands and India, he is said to have purchased a cup of coffee using the UPI payment system, and was asked to comment on it.

"It looks very simple and easy, but I have no idea about its ramifications, so I cannot claim I'm an expert on this. But it was fascinating to go through the experience...," he said.

Asked if there were any conversations going on to link Netherlands' own fast payment system with India's UPI, he said, "It is clearly something we are discussing.

Not so much linking, but to understand better what you guys (India) are doing. But obviously there are many issues on privacy, banking system, in terms of currency stability.

We really have to work through all those issues, but it is clearly a development which we have to take seriously."

Speaking about his meeting with representatives of the Karnataka government, Rutte said the state is as big as Germany in terms of population, and the administration is being practical and actionoriented here.

"I was really impressed that the ministers and the deputy chief minister are really focusing on how to solve the issues, and not just restating the policies, but making it practical. It makes a big impression on the Dutch business community," he said.

During the Bengaluru visit, Rutte also held discussions with Indian companies engaged in business with the Netherlands, and participated in a roundtable discussion with Dutch companies operating in Karnataka, Consulate officials said.