NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet his Belgian counterpart Bart De Wever on Thursday, as India and Belgium seek to build on a sharp upswing in high-level and economic engagement and broaden their relationship into a more comprehensive strategic partnership.
De Wever, who took office in February 2025, is visiting India from September 2 to 4, accompanied by Belgian Defence and Foreign Trade Minister Theo Francken and a high-level business and official delegation. It is his first visit to India and the first by a Belgian prime minister in two decades.
The talks are expected to cover the full spectrum of bilateral relations, including trade and investment, defence and security, technology, renewable energy, connectivity, ports and maritime cooperation, as well as regional and global developments.
De Wever will also address a Confederation of Indian Industry business event in the context of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
The visit comes after a series of developments that have given bilateral ties greater strategic weight. A Belgian economic mission led by Princess Astrid in March 2025 resulted in 38 MoUs, while India and Belgium established a ministerial-level Strategic Dialogue in July this year.
The new mechanism provides a platform to coordinate on bilateral priorities as well as wider regional and global issues.
Trade remains the foundation of the relationship.
Bilateral commerce reached $13.01 billion in 2025-26, with diamonds continuing to be a major component, given Antwerp’s position as a global diamond hub.
Belgian investment in India has also grown, with cumulative FDI inflows estimated at $4.2 billion between April 2000 and December 2025.
But the partnership is increasingly moving beyond commerce.
The presence of Belgium’s defence minister and defence industry representatives is expected to give fresh momentum to emerging defence-industrial cooperation. Technology, clean energy and maritime connectivity are other areas with significant potential.
Belgian firm John Cockerill is developing a major electrolyser manufacturing facility in Kakinada, while cooperation with Antwerp underscores opportunities in ports, shipping and resilient supply chains.
De Wever will travel to Mumbai on September 4, including a visit to the Bharat Diamond Bourse, highlighting the enduring importance of the diamond trade.
For India, Belgium is also an important gateway into Europe and a useful partner within the EU. Brussels’ support for India’s permanent membership of a reformed UN Security Council adds a political dimension to the relationship.
The immediate objective of the visit is therefore clear: convert recent diplomatic and commercial momentum into institutionalised strategic cooperation, while using Belgium’s European leverage to strengthen the broader India-EU partnership.
