Belgian Premier Bart De Wever on Friday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his rational thinking and wise decision-making, while also describing him as “one of the most inspiring” world leaders.
He was addressing the India-Belgium High-Level Dialogue on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
“For me, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honour to be here. Finally, I’m in India. The previous trip had to be cancelled due to COVID. Now, I am here. And what an honour to meet your Prime Minister, Prime Minister Modi, in Delhi yesterday”, De Wever said.
The Belgian Prime Minister said while “many world leaders” invoke threats in their speeches, PM Modi’s words carry inspiration and guidance.
“I consider him to be one of the most
inspiring world leaders we have. If you hear many world leaders, you feel afraid, disturbed, threatened. But when Mr. Modi speaks, you think, ‘we should do what he says'”.
“He is a wise leader”, De Wever said.
Veiled Dig At Trump
Bart De Wever also took a veiled dig at US President Donald Trump over his “arbitrary” tariff decisions and rapidly-shifting trade policies. He also called for stronger economic partnerships as well as open markets.
“More and more voices today are calling for barriers to go up, for markets to be shut off, for tariffs to be imposed. Some do this entirely arbitrarily. They decide something on Monday, they revoke it on Wednesday, and they reinstall it on Saturday,” De Wever said.
Accompanied by Belgium’s Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade Theo Francken and a high-level delegation, De Wever arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday, September 2.
This was his first official visit to India since he assumed the office as Belgian Prime Minister in February 2025.
India, Belgium Set Target Of Doubling Trade
During talks between the two Prime Ministers, India and Belgium set a target of doubling bilateral trade over the next five years. The two sides also inked a Letter of Intent of Defence Cooperation as well as a separate Memorandum of Understanding between the Belgian Security and Defence Industry Association and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers.
The trade pact with Belgium aligns with India’s strategy of diversifying its trade partnerships amid an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape. It also seeks to strengthen defence cooperation and bilateral relations between the two countries.
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