Belgium PM Bart De Wever calls India a key geopolitical partner, flags deeper ties in defence, technology, clean energy and trade
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Thursday described India as a “major geopolitical factor” whose influence extends far beyond South Asia, saying Brussels wants to take its relationship with New Delhi to a new level economically, politically and strategically.
Speaking after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, De Wever said India’s transformation over the past two decades had made it an increasingly important partner for Belgium.
“It is particularly meaningful to be here as the first Belgian Prime Minister in 20 years, and that’s a very long time. It’s too long,” De Wever said.
“In those 20 years, India has changed enormously, and certainly in the period of the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.”
De Wever said India was now not only the world’s largest democracy but also a fast-growing major economy, an “economic and technological powerhouse” and a “major geopolitical factor whose voice carries way beyond this region”.
“For Belgium, this makes India an increasingly important partner,” he said.
Belgium pitches technology and access to Europe
De Wever said Belgium’s smaller size compared with India was offset by its position as one of the world’s most open and internationally connected economies.
“With 11 million inhabitants and a country 100 times smaller than India, we have grown into the 25th economy of the world,” he said.
More from Business“Belgium is also a gateway to the European market, so I think there is strong complementarity between India and Belgium,” De Wever said. “India brings extraordinary scale, talent, ambition. Belgium can bring technology, specialisation, experience, and access to Europe.”
The economic pitch comes as the two countries look to broaden ties beyond their traditional diamond trade and develop new partnerships in technology, defence, clean energy and strategic supply chains.
Trade target backed by investment push
PM Modi said after the talks that India and Belgium would work towards doubling bilateral trade over the next five years.
Bilateral trade stood at about $13.01 billion in 2025-26, while cumulative Belgian investment in India was around $4.2 billion from April 2000 to December 2025, according to Indian government figures.
Doubling trade would take annual bilateral commerce beyond $26 billion.
Modi also said India had established an Investment Fast-Track Mechanism for Belgian companies. The India-Belgium Business Forum will be upgraded into a regular mechanism to strengthen business-to-business engagement.
The two countries will also work to improve coordination between their financial, fintech and regulatory institutions.
Defence ties acquire greater strategic weight
De Wever stressed that his visit was about more than trade and commerce.
“We want to take the relationship between Belgium and India to another level, economically, politically, but also strategically,” he said.
“We live in a more fragmented and uncertain world. Prosperity and security increasingly go hand in hand.”
That strategic focus was reflected in a separate meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Belgian Defence and Foreign Trade Minister Theo Francken in New Delhi on Thursday.
The two ministers reviewed the full spectrum of defence and defence-industrial cooperation and agreed to expand ties through a defence cooperation dialogue, high-level visits, training and capacity building. They also discussed regional peace and security and agreed on the need for greater maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
The meeting took place alongside De Wever’s talks with Modi.
Modi has said India and Belgium are cooperating on modern defence equipment, including the Zorawar light tank. Defence-industrial cooperation therefore marks a significant expansion of a relationship that has historically been dominated by diamonds and commercial ties.
