Belgian PM Bart De Wever begins a three-day India visit.
Trade, defence and technology are key areas of cooperation.
Modi-De Wever talks will review bilateral and global issues.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday for a three-day official visit to India, his first as prime minister and the first by a Belgian premier to the country in nearly two decades. At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, De Wever will hold talks with the Indian leadership and meet business and industry stakeholders as both sides look to expand cooperation in trade, investment, defence, technology and connectivity.
De Wever, who took office in February 2025, was received by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth. He is accompanied by Belgium’s Defence and Foreign Trade Minister Theo Francken, senior officials, business leaders and representatives of the Belgian defence industry.
Modi-De Wever Talks To Focus On Bilateral, Global Issues
De Wever is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Modi on September 3. The two leaders are expected to review the full range of India-Belgium relations and discuss regional and global developments of mutual interest.
De Wever will also deliver a keynote address at a Confederation of Indian Industry business event focused on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
The visit follows growing momentum in bilateral ties. A Belgian Economic Mission led by Princess Astrid in March 2025 brought 338 participants from companies, chambers of commerce, academia and public institutions to India and resulted in 38 memoranda of understanding.
The two countries also held their first India-Belgium Ministerial-level Strategic Dialogue in Brussels on July 15, 2026. Co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, the dialogue has created a new institutional mechanism for advancing bilateral cooperation.
India-Belgium bilateral trade reached $13.01 billion in 2025-26, with diamonds continuing to account for a significant share of commerce. Belgium has also invested around $4.2 billion in India since April 2000.
Defence, Technology And Mumbai Visit On Agenda
Defence is emerging as a newer area of cooperation. Belgium’s appointment of a Defence Attaché in New Delhi and the presence of its Defence and Foreign Trade Minister and defence industry representatives during De Wever’s visit are expected to provide an opportunity to deepen defence-industrial ties.
The two countries are also seeking greater cooperation in technology, renewable energy, ports, maritime connectivity, supply chains and security. Belgium has supported India’s candidature for permanent membership of a reformed UN Security Council, while both countries cooperate on counter-terrorism.
Technology and clean energy are also important areas of the partnership. A major liquid mirror telescope at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital was inaugurated in 2023 with Belgian involvement. Belgian company John Cockerill is also building a 2 GW electrolyser manufacturing facility in Kakinada.
De Wever will travel to Mumbai on September 4, where he is scheduled to meet stakeholders from the diamond, ports and logistics sectors.
The relationship also extends beyond economics and strategic cooperation. Around 1,131 Indian students are currently studying in Belgium, while the Indian-origin community there is estimated at around 35,000 people.
Historical ties remain another important element, with more than 9,000 Indian soldiers having died in Flanders during the First World War. The Indian Memorial Pillar at Menin Gate in Ypres commemorates their contribution.
De Wever’s visit is expected to build on the recent diplomatic momentum and strengthen Belgium’s role in India’s broader engagement with the European Union and Europe.
