Belgium, India looking at firming up broad-based defence agreement

New Delhi: Belgium on Tuesday announced it is looking at firming up a broad-based defence pact with India and will soon appoint a military attache to its embassy in New Delhi as part of efforts to expand overall bilateral strategic ties.

The announcement was made shortly after Belgium's Princess Astrid, accompanied by Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot and Defence Minister Theo Francken, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Astrid is leading an Economic Mission to India that comprises top ministers and business leaders.

"Deeply appreciate her initiative to lead a 300-member Economic Mission to India," Modi said on X.

"Look forward to unlocking limitless opportunities for our people through new partnerships in trade, technology, defence, agriculture, life sciences, innovation, skilling and academic exchanges," he said.

At a media briefing, Defence Minister Francken said there are immense opportunities to expand India-Belgium defence cooperation and both sides are looking at instituting a framework to facilitate deeper ties.

"Your prime minister asked us to make the task force here in New Delhi and in Brussels and to conclude the agreement before the end of the year," he said.

"I think that is (going to be) a very big step because we don't have a structural cooperation," Francken said, adding that such a framework agreement would also encourage defence industrial collaboration.

Flanked by Foreign Minister Prevot, Francken also said that Belgium will soon appoint a defence attache at its embassy in New Delhi as a single point of contact for the Indian military and defence industry.

"Both countries need to build up their defence capabilities and learn from each other to make good military equipment and to stand strong," Francken said.

"Peace through strength -“ I think that is the new message we want to give," he noted.

Francken said Belgian defence firm John Cockerill Defence is participating in the Indian Army's tender to procure around 300 light tanks.

In his remarks, Prevot talked about indirectly referred the new US administration's policies.

"Times are changing and we need to absolutely reinforce ties between Belgium and a powerful democracy like India," he said.

Prevot said the Belgian side didn't specifically mention about the situation between the US and Ukraine with Modi. At the same time he said the prime minister is aware of the "concerns of Europe and of Belgium" regarding the "issue we are facing in Europe.

"We are seeing that times are complicated, times are changing...The US has already been a strong ally of Belgium and they will remain a strong ally of Belgium, that's clear," he said.

However, he indicated that the situation is not the "same" now.

"We need to be flexible and united '“ that's the message that we disseminated in the European Union (EU). It means that we need to develop our own strategic autonomy, certainly regarding the defence sector," he said.

The Belgian foreign minister said his country will continue to back Ukraine.

"We are with the Ukrainian people. There is an aggressor, there is a victim, no doubt about that. And it is not acceptable that some powers of the world try to put those two countries on the same footing," he said.

There has been renewed focus on the Ukraine conflict after US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traded verbal blows at the Oval Office in the White House on Friday that drew global attention.

Europe has come out in strong support of Zelenskyy following unprecedented scenes that unfolded in the Oval Office.