Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 4 (ANI): As India and Belgium continue to deepen their engagements across key areas of partnership, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever arrived in Mumbai on Friday and is slated to engage with stakeholders from the diamond, ports and logistics sectors.

The details were shared by the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a post on X.

Upon arrival, Prime Minister De Wever was received by Maharashtra's Minister of Marketing and Protocol, Jayakumar Raval.

"Prime Minister Bart De Wever of Belgium arrived in Mumbai today from New Delhi and was received by Jayakumar Raval, Minister of Marketing and Protocol, Government of Maharashtra, at the airport. His engagements in Mumbai, including with stakeholders from the diamond, ports and logistics sectors, will further strengthen India-Belgium economic ties," Jaiswal said.

https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/2095789229171523864?s=20

On Thursday, Prime Minister De Wever and Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the wide spectrum of partnership between India and Belgium in New Delhi.

The partners unveiled 10 key outcomes during Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever's three-day official visit to India, with the two sides stepping up cooperation across trade, investment, defence, renewable energy, security and people-to-people ties.

Briefing the media here following De Wever's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George said that the relationship between the two countries has a clear focus on "three Ts" - trade, technology and talent.

"In a nutshell, there is a clear focus on three Ts: Trade, Technology and Talent in this relationship," George said.

De Wever arrived in India on September 2 for the three-day visit, at the invitation of PM Modi, with discussions focused on further strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation across trade, investment, defence, technology and connectivity.

Among the key outcomes, India and Belgium signed a Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation and an MoU between the Belgian Security and Defence Industry Association (BDSI) and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).

On trade and investment, the two sides set a target of doubling bilateral trade over the next five years. George said bilateral trade currently stands at about USD 13 billion.

The two countries also agreed to establish an investment fast-track mechanism to facilitate and promote Belgian investments in India and institutionalise regular business engagement through the India-Belgium Business Forum. (ANI)