This article covers the political relationship between India and Belgium: the establishment of ties, high-level visits and calls, the new Strategic Dialogue and the Foreign Office Consultations. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of August 2026.

Establishment and basis of relations

According to the MEA brief of August 2026, Belgium was one of the first European nations to establish diplomatic ties with independent India, in September 1947. The brief describes the bilateral relationship as strong and rooted in shared values, including a commitment to the rule of law, federalism and pluralism. It also records that Belgium supports India's bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.

Strategic Dialogue

During a meeting in Brussels on 16 March 2026, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, agreed to establish a new Ministerial-level Strategic Dialogue. The inaugural Belgium-India Strategic Dialogue was held in Brussels on 15 July 2026, co-chaired by the two ministers.

Visits from India

  • President Shri Pranab Mukherjee undertook a State Visit to Belgium from 2 to 5 October 2013. He and the King of the Belgians jointly inaugurated the Europalia-India Cultural Festival, and five MoUs were signed; these are listed in the culture and education article.
  • Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Belgium on 30 March 2016, shortly after the terrorist attacks in Brussels. The two leaders strongly condemned the attacks, reaffirmed their commitment to combat terrorism and reviewed the bilateral partnership.
  • Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu called on the King of the Belgians during his visit to Brussels for the 12th ASEM Summit on 18-19 October 2018.
  • Speaker of the Lok Sabha Smt. Sumitra Mahajan led a 7-member parliamentary delegation to the Belgian Parliament on 23-26 June 2015.
  • An all-party Parliamentary delegation, after Operation Sindoor, met Mr. Peter De Roover, President of the Chamber of Representatives, and members of the Belgian Parliament on 05 June 2025 and discussed terrorism.

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence Didier Reynders in Brussels in August 2019, and met Foreign Minister Philippe Goffin at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in February 2020. In May 2023, with Shri Piyush Goyal and Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, he called on Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. During his visit in June 2025, he met Maxime Prévot and called on the Belgian Prime Minister and the King.

Other ministerial visits listed in the brief include those of Shri Nitin Gadkari (November 2014), Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey (September 2019, for the Global Vaccine Summit) and Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw (June 2022, to visit IMEC in Leuven).

Visits from Belgium

On the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde paid a State visit to India on 5-11 November 2017. They were accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign & European Affairs Didier Reynders, Minister-President of Flanders Geert Bourgeois, Minister-President of the Walloon region Willy Borsus, Minister-President of the Wallonia-Brussels region Rudy Demotte, senior officials and a large business and academic delegation. They took part in business and academic seminars and visited the Taj Mahal. In Mumbai, the King took part in a remembrance ceremony at the memorial of the 2008 terrorist attack at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and visited Oval Maidan for a cricket demonstration.

Other Belgian visits named in the brief include those of Alexander De Croo (2017), Pieter De Crem (2015 and 2016), Didier Reynders (2012) and Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (2006). After the brief, Prime Minister Bart De Wever paid an official visit to India from 2-4 September 2026, his first since taking office in February 2025, and held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Telephone calls

The brief records a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and King Philippe on 27 March 2025, described in the trade article, and an earlier call:

  • 26 March 2024: Prime Minister Modi spoke with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo about bilateral ties, the India-EU partnership during Belgium's EU Council Presidency, and regional and global issues.

Foreign Office Consultations

The 3rd round of India-Belgium Foreign Office Consultations took place in Brussels on November 4, 2025, co-chaired by India's Secretary (West), Mr. Sibi George, and the President of the Board of Belgium's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Theodora Gentzis. The 2nd round was held in New Delhi on 10 April 2024 between Mr. Pavan Kapoor, Secretary (West), and Ms. Gentzis, who also called on the External Affairs Minister.