New Delhi, March 4 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Princess Astrid of Belgium today and said he looks forward to the new bilateral partnership unlocking limitless opportunities in trade, technology, defence and agriculture.
In a post on X, the PM said:
“Pleased to meet HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium. Deeply appreciate her initiative to lead a 300-member Economic Mission to India.
“Look forward to unlocking limitless opportunities for our people through new partnerships in trade, technology, defence, agriculture, life sciences, innovation, skilling and academic exchanges.”
The team comprised Princess Astrid, Foreign minister Maxime Prévot, Defence Minister Theo Francken, Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele and Belgian ambassador Didier Vanderhasselt.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 30 minutes, ended up lasting an hour.
A wide range of issues were discussed during the meeting, including labour migration, pharmaceuticals, defence, diamonds, space exploration and green energy, a Belgian news portal said.
“We also wanted to make it clear that cooperation with India is not only B2B (business-to-business) but also G2G (government-to-government),” said Foreign Minister Prévot. “It is also a diplomatic mission. After all, India is the largest democracy in the world”.
He also pointed out that the geopolitical landscape is evolving at a rapid pace. For this reason, it was agreed in the defence sector to set up a working group in India and Belgium to explore a structural framework for cooperation between the Belgian and Indian armed forces. Defence Minister Francken said he aims to have more clarity on this by the end of the year.
Flemish Minister-President Diependaele highlighted the strategic location of the port of Antwerp-Bruges and the significant investments Flanders is making in innovation. “With 3.6% of GDP devoted to research and development, we are among the world leaders,” he said.
On Monday, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar had met Princess Astrid who is leading an economic mission to India, and also held talks with the Belgium Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot.
In posts on X, the EAM voiced confidence that the visit of the Belgium delegation will foster greater collaborations for stronger ties between India and Belgium and with the European Union.
On his bilateral talks with the Belgium DPM and FM, he wrote that the two sides held comprehensive discussions on advancing the bilateral partnership in trade, investment, clean energy, pharma, semiconductors, digital, and defence.
Belgium’s Defence Minister Theo Francken, announced on Monday that a military attaché will be added to the Belgian Embassy in India following his meeting with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi.
This will be the first time that the Belgian Embassy in India has a military attaché. “This region is very important, and China is becoming more aggressive,” noted Francken. He emphasised the need for increased cooperation with India in defence matters. “Europe requires more weapons and ammunition, and we will look to India for this”.
Belgian potato processor Agristo has set up a new production line for frozen French fries in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. The pounds 80 million project was launched on Sunday during a visit by Princess Astrid of Belgium, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot and Flemish Minister President Matthias Diependaele.
Princess Astrid was present to symbolically break ground as part of the economic mission she is leading.
Agristo has been active in India since 2019 through a joint venture with local company Masa. The partnership has improved potato yields and optimised supply chains. The expansion will double the factory’s workforce from 150 to 300, a statement said.
