New Delhi. Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever is on a three-day visit to India. Belgian Prime Minister Weaver had a bilateral meeting with PM Narendra Modi today at Hyderabad House in Delhi. During this, both the leaders discussed various important topics related to increasing defense and clean energy cooperation. Many important MoUs were signed between India and Belgium in the presence of Modi and Weaver. After the meeting, both the leaders also gave a joint address to the press. Modi and Weaver reiterated their shared commitment to root out terrorism in all its forms. Also supported all efforts for peace and early end to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and West Asia.
Referring to the age-old relations between India and Belgium, Prime Minister Modi said, the roots of relations between India and Belgium are deep in history. The courage and sacrifice of thousands of Indian soldiers in Belgium during the First World War is an important part of our shared memory. Today, democratic values, market economy and deep people-to-people ties make us natural partners. A clean energy future and reliable supply chains are our shared priorities. The MoU signed today on renewable energy will give new impetus to our stable cooperation. We have decided to increase cooperation in processing and recycling of critical minerals. Belgium's expertise in semiconductors and India's scale complement each other. In this direction, we will work together to connect the IMEC Institute of Belgium with the semiconductor ecosystem of India.
Modi said, we have created an 'investment fast-track mechanism' for Belgian companies in India. We have decided to make the 'India-Belgium Business Forum' a regular arrangement. We will increase coordination between the financial, fintech and regulatory institutions of the two countries. With all these initiatives, we will achieve the goal of doubling bilateral trade in the next five years. Defense and security cooperation are a key pillar of our relations. Today we have agreed to increase military exchange and training cooperation between the two countries.