New Delhi, Sep 2026 : Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever will begin a three-day visit to India on Wednesday, his first trip to the country since assuming office in February 2025, with bilateral trade, defence, technology, renewable energy and broader India-European Union cooperation expected to feature prominently during his engagements.
De Wever will hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday. Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken will also accompany the Prime Minister as part of the visiting delegation, underlining the growing importance of defence and security cooperation between the two countries.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Modi and De Wever will review the entire spectrum of India-Belgium relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest. De Wever is also scheduled to deliver a keynote address at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) business event, with discussions expected to focus particularly on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The Belgian Prime Minister will subsequently travel to Mumbai, where he is expected to interact with stakeholders from key sectors, including diamonds, ports and logistics. His Mumbai engagements are likely to provide an opportunity to explore new avenues for trade and investment while strengthening commercial ties between Indian and Belgian businesses.
The MEA said the visit would help further strengthen the India-Belgium partnership and advance cooperation in several areas, including trade and investment, defence and security, technology, renewable energy, connectivity and people-to-people relations. It will also provide an opportunity to deepen India's engagement with Belgium as well as with the wider European Union and Europe.
The visit follows growing high-level diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Brussels. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Belgian counterpart, Maxime Prevot, held talks in Brussels during the inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue on July 15. The two ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation across a broad range of sectors, including politics, economy, investment, clean energy, defence, mobility and pharmaceuticals.
Jaishankar said the discussions reflected the ambition behind India's expanding partnership with Belgium and the European Union. The two sides also explored cooperation in ports, maritime affairs and semiconductors, besides opportunities to strengthen supply-chain resilience and reduce strategic dependencies.
The ministers also exchanged views on major international developments, including the situation in West Asia, highlighting the growing convergence between India and Belgium on global and regional issues.
India and Belgium share a longstanding diplomatic relationship. Belgium was among the first European countries to establish diplomatic relations with independent India in September 1947. Over the decades, bilateral ties have expanded beyond traditional commercial engagement to encompass political, economic, technological and strategic cooperation.
According to the Indian Embassy in Brussels, the relationship is underpinned by shared values, including respect for the rule of law, federalism and pluralism. Belgium has also expressed support for India's longstanding aspiration for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.
The Belgian Prime Minister's visit comes at a time when India is seeking to deepen its economic and strategic engagement with Europe. The proposed India-EU FTA, supply-chain diversification, clean energy, advanced technology and maritime connectivity are emerging as important areas of cooperation.
With De Wever's delegation including the Belgian Defence Minister and engagements planned across New Delhi and Mumbai, the visit is expected to give fresh momentum to bilateral ties while strengthening India's wider partnership with the European Union.
