India-Belgium Joint Statement: Defence LoI and Investment Track

The Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart De Wever, was in India on an official visit from 2 to 4 September 2026. He came at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was his first trip to India after he took charge in February 2025. Belgium's Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade, Theo Francken, travelled with him, along with officials and business leaders. The joint statement was issued on 3 September 2026.

How the visit began

De Wever went first to Rajghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi. He then held talks with Prime Minister Modi, in a restricted format to begin with and later with both delegations. Modi hosted a luncheon for the visiting party.

The history the two leaders recalled

More than 9,000 Indian soldiers gave their lives in the Flanders Fields during the First World War. Belgium was among the first European nations to open diplomatic ties with India, and it did so in 1947. The 80th anniversary of those ties falls in 2027. The inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue had already been launched in Brussels on 15 July 2026.

What was signed and launched

• A Letter of Intent between the two Defence Ministries, covering staff talks, training, education, research and defence-industrial partnerships.
• An MoU between India's Central Bureau of Investigation and Belgium's Federal Police on transnational organised crime and cybercrime.
• A renewed MoU on renewable energy cooperation, widening work on green hydrogen, solar power, offshore wind and energy storage.
• The India-Belgium Investment Fast-Track Mechanism, a platform to clear investment bottlenecks on both sides.

Dates and terms worth memorising

Where the two stood on world affairs

Belgium again backed India for permanent membership of a reformed and enlarged United Nations Security Council. The two countries agreed to support each other for non-permanent seats as well. Both pressed for Council reform so that it mirrors the world of today. They condemned the terrorist attack on civilians at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, and spoke of setting up a joint working group on counter-terrorism. Belgium is the 24th biggest economy in the world, and the leaders set out to double bilateral trade in the next 5 years. The diamond link between Antwerp, Mumbai and Surat was described as a historic partnership worth building on. De Wever invited Modi to pay a bilateral visit to Belgium.