India and Belgium organized the first ‘India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue’ with the aim of giving new momentum to their mutual relations. This meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot. The two countries agreed to make their mutual relations more institutionalized, comprehensive and result-oriented.
This Strategic Dialogue will serve as a new platform for regular political dialogue within the broader framework of the India-European Union (EU) Strategic Partnership. The meeting laid special emphasis on strengthening partnerships in key areas such as trade and investment, green energy transition, innovation and technology, connectivity, defense and security, cooperation on regional and global issues and people-to-people ties.
Belgium has a special place in partnership
Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said that Belgium has a special place in India’s partnership with Europe and this strategic dialogue will become a means of converting the complementary strengths of both the countries into concrete results. At the same time, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxim Prévot said that the Belgian economic mission to be held in March 2025 is proof of the strong economic relations between the two countries. He said that trade, investment and innovation create a strong foundation for future cooperation.
‘India-EU Business Forum’ also organized
Both countries agreed to hold regular high-level meetings. It was also decided to take forward various key initiatives during the high-level visits proposed for 2026. Along with the strategic dialogue, ‘India-EU Business Forum’ was also organized in which industry representatives from India, Belgium and other European countries participated.
These leaders of both the countries represented
India was represented by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasad. Belgium was represented by Minister-President of Flanders Matthias Diependel and Minister-President of Wallonia, Adrien Dolimont.
Focus on India-EU free trade agreement
In the business forum, there was a detailed discussion on new opportunities for trade and investment in the context of India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). At the conclusion of the meeting, India and Belgium reiterated their commitment towards a future-oriented, ambitious and strong strategic partnership and resolved to take mutual relations to new heights amid the changing global scenario.
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