SINGAPORE, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday called for identifying new areas of cooperation between Singapore and the Netherlands.

    Hosting an official lunch in honor of the Netherlands Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenede, Lee said that the economic relationship between Singapore and Netherlands is robust and deep, with Netherlands being Singapore's third largest European trading partner and second largest investor.

    Ties between the two armed forces are also strong and growing, he said, as both forces operate together in Oruzgan in Afghanistan, in support of the NATO International Security Assistance Force.

    Calling for both countries to identify new areas of cooperation, Lee said that as small, open economies, Singapore and the Netherlands share similar perspectives on many issues that confront countries in this rapidly-changing world.

    He noted one area of collaboration in water and environment management and said that Singapore's Public Utilities Board, the National University of Singapore and Dutch research institute Deltares have come together to establish the Aquatic Science Center, a collaborative water research initiative.