New Delhi, September 1: Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever will visit India from September 2 to 4. During this trip, he will engage in bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Ministry of External Affairs announced that the meeting on September 3 will cover various aspects of bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest. Prime Minister De Wever will also deliver a keynote address at a business event organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) concerning the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
This will be De Wever’s first visit to India since taking office in February last year. Belgium’s Minister of Defence, Theo Francken, will also be part of the delegation.
After concluding his schedule in New Delhi, De Wever will travel to Mumbai, where he will discuss various sectors, including diamonds, ports, and logistics, with stakeholders.
The Ministry highlighted that this visit aims to strengthen the India-Belgium partnership and advance cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as trade and investment, defense and security, technology, renewable energy, connectivity, and people-to-people relations. It also provides an opportunity to deepen India-EU and India-Europe relations.
Last month, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met with his Belgian counterpart, Maxim Prevot, in Brussels to review bilateral cooperation in political, economic, investment, clean energy, defense, mobility, and pharmaceutical sectors.
Both ministers also discussed global developments, including issues in West Asia. This discussion took place during the inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue on July 15 in Brussels.
Following the meeting, Minister Jaishankar posted on social media platform X, stating, “Today co-chaired the inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxim Prevot in Brussels. Our partnership has deepened significantly in recent years. Today’s discussions reflect the ambition of our relations with Belgium and the EU.”
He added, “We reviewed our cooperation in political, economic, investment, clean energy, defense, mobility, and pharmaceuticals. We also focused on comprehensive cooperation to mitigate supply chain risks, along with opportunities in ports, maritime, and semiconductors. Useful exchanges on global developments, including West Asia, took place.”
Belgium was one of the first European countries to establish diplomatic relations with independent India in September 1947. According to the Indian Embassy in Brussels, the strong bilateral ties between India and Belgium are rooted in shared values, including commitment to the rule of law, federalism, and pluralism. Belgium also supports India’s bid for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
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