India, Belgium agree to double bilateral trade in next 5 years

India and Belgium on Thursday agreed to double the bilateral trade in next five years, establish a business forum, an investment forum and a consular dialogue. Both sides exchanged several agreements, including a Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation and MoUs in the fields of Renewable Energy, cybercrime, and diplomatic training. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with his Belgian counterpart Bart De Wever in New Delhi on Thursday. Both leaders discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest. 
Prime Minister Modi stated the roots of India-Belgium relations are deeply embedded in history. He highlighted that the courage and sacrifice of thousands of Indian soldiers in Belgium during the First World War form an important part of the shared memory of both nations.In critical minerals, both nations have decided to increase cooperation in processing and recycling. Modi said that in semiconductors, Belgium’s expertise and India’s scale are complementary to each other. In this direction, both countries will work together to connect Belgium’s IMEC Institute with India’s semiconductor ecosystem. 

VIDEO | Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever attend joint press conference.

PM Modi says, "This year, we signed the historic India-European Union Free Trade Agreement. This unprecedented cooperation between two of the world's largest… pic.twitter.com/o871LBQc03

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 3, 2026

In his address Belgium Prime Minister Bart De Wever said,"We are renewing our cooperation on renewable energy, including offshore wind, green hydrogen, and energy storage. Our Federal Police and India's Central Bureau of Investigation are strengthening their cooperation against organized crime, cybercrime, financial crime, and other forms of cross-border criminality. We have taken an important new step in defense cooperation, and our foreign services will work more closely together than ever before." 

Delhi: At a joint press meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever says, "... We are renewing our cooperation on renewable energy, including offshore wind, green hydrogen, and energy storage. Our Federal Police and India's Central Bureau of… pic.twitter.com/vQiN6tfYT0

— IANS (@ians_india) September 3, 2026

The Belgian Prime Minister is on a three-day visit to India. Belgian Minister of Defence Theo Francken is accompanying Prime Minister De Wever. This is his first visit to India since taking office in February last year.