BRUSSELS: External affairs minister S Jaishankar began his visit to Belgium on Monday with a meeting with deputy prime minister and foreign minister Maxime Prevot. The discussions focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation and combating terrorism.
He appreciated Belgium's support in combating terrorism and welcomed their solidarity and emphasised the strong momentum in the India-EU partnership, highlighting the potential for collaboration in clean energy, mobility, and pharmaceuticals.
The two leaders discussed deepening cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, technology, defense, and security.
Sharing the details in a post on X on Monday, EAM said, "Pleased to meet DPM & FM @prevotmaxime at the start of my visit to Belgium. Welcomed Belgium's support and solidarity in combatting terrorism. Appreciated the strong momentum of our bilateral engagement and the India - EU partnership. Also held wide - ranging discussions on deepening our cooperation including in trade, investment, technology, defence & security, pharmaceuticals, clean energy and mobility."
Jaishankar's visit to Brussels comes three months after Princess Astrid of Belgium led a 300-member economic mission to India. The recent visit by Princess Astrid, who met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar, discussed key areas such as labor migration, pharmaceuticals, defense, diamonds, space exploration, and green energy.
Interestingly, Jaishankar's visit coincides with the detention of fugitive Indian diamantaire Mehul Choksi in a Belgian jail. Choksi, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of Rs 13,850 crore, was arrested in mid-April on India's extradition request. India has an extradition treaty with Belgium, and the government is likely to pursue Choksi's extradition during the EAM's visit.
Jaishankar is on an official visit to France, the European Union (EU), and Belgium from June 8 to 14, 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs announced in a press release on Sunday.
The visit marks a significant step in further strengthening India's strategic partnerships with Europe. The EAM will first travel to Paris and Marseille, France, where he will hold bilateral discussions with the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean Noel Barrot.
The EAM will hold a Strategic Dialogue with the EU High Representative and Vice President Kaja Kallas.
According to the MEA press release, "India-European Union strategic partnership has strengthened over the years across diverse sectors and got a big boost with the first-ever visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February this year."
Jaishankar will also meet senior leadership from the European Commission and European Parliament and interact with think tanks and media.
MEA in its statement noted that the Belgium leg would also see the EAM meet members of the Indian community during his visit.
The MEA highlighted, "India and Belgium share warm and friendly relations along with a very robust economic partnership. Today the collaboration between the two countries spans various domains like trade and investment, green energy, technology, pharmaceutical, diamond sector and strong people-to-people ties."
The Ministry of External Affairs emphasized that the visit is expected to further deepen India's friendly relations with the European Union, France and Belgium and give renewed momentum to ongoing cooperation in diverse areas.