New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, September 3, that India and Belgium believe in the rule of law, dialogue and diplomacy, asserting that both nations support efforts towards early resolutions of ongoing conflicts.
Addressing a joint press meet with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever following their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, PM Modi described people-to-people ties as the “greatest strength” of India-Belgium relationship. He said that India and Belgium are strengthening connection between the startups and have reached an agreement to build capacity in the maritime sector. PM Modi mentioned that both nations will soon also conclude a Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement.
“Today, we also discussed regional and global developments in detail. Both India and Belgium believe in the rule of law, dialogue, and diplomacy. Whether it is Ukraine or West Asia, we support all efforts for an early resolution of conflicts and peace. Eradicating terrorism in all its forms remains our shared commitment.”
PM Modi emphasised that the partnership between India and Belgium has made remarkable progress over the past decade and the scope of bilateral cooperation has expanded beyond traditional sectors to strategic areas like defence and clean energy. He said that India and Belgium are collaborating on modern defence equipment, such as the Zorawar tank and developing one of the world’s largest green ammonia projects in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada.
“The ties between India and Belgium are deeply rooted in history. The courage and sacrifice of thousands of Indian soldiers in Belgium during the First World War remain a vital part of our shared memory. Today, democratic values, a market economy, and strong people-to-people ties make us natural partners,” PM Modi stated.
He termed defence and security cooperation as a “key pillar” of India-Belgium ties and announced that both nations have agreed to enhance military exchanges and training cooperation.
“Defence and security cooperation is a key pillar of our relationship. Today, we have agreed to enhance military exchanges and training cooperation between the two countries. Agreements reached between our governments and defence industries will open up new opportunities for defence co-development and co-production. We will also further strengthen intelligence sharing and cooperation against crime between our respective agencies.”
Stressing that a clean energy future and reliable supply chains remain shared priorities of India and Belgium, PM Modi said, “The MoU on renewable energy signed today will give new momentum to our cooperation on sustainability. We have decided to enhance cooperation in the processing and recycling of critical minerals. Belgium’s expertise in semiconductors and India’s scale complement each other. In this regard, we will work together to integrate Belgium’s IMEC Institute with India’s semiconductor ecosystem.”
PM Modi mentioned that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between India and the European Union (EU) will further strengthen global stability, growth, and shared prosperity, highlighting that India’s sustained economic progress and the FTA have opened up new possibilities for economic ties between the two nations.
“Today, we have taken several significant steps to translate these possibilities into concrete results. We have established an ‘Investment Fast-Track Mechanism’ in India for Belgian companies. We have decided to make the India-Belgium Business Forum a regular mechanism. We will enhance synergy between the financial, fintech, and regulatory institutions of both nations, and through these measures, we will realise the goal of doubling bilateral trade over the next five years.”
