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The third round of the India-Belgium Foreign Office Consultations was held on Tuesday in Brussels, and was co-chaired by Sibi George, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and Theodora Gentzis, President of the Board, Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs of Belgium, the MEA said in an official statement.
As per the MEA, during the consultations, the two delegations reviewed the full spectrum of India-Belgium relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral partnership. The key areas discussed included trade and investment cooperation, technology, science and innovation, defence and security, renewable energy, education and people-to-people relations. The statement noted how the meeting came after the successful visit of Princess Astrid of Belgium, leading an Economic Delegation to India in March 2025. Regular high-level political visits and interactions, including the visit of the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister to India and the External Affairs Minister to Belgium, have provided guidance and renewed momentum to bilateral relations. Both sides also discussed the importance of deepening India-European Union (EU) ties, following the historic visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February this year and the communication on the new India-EU Strategic Agenda. They reaffirmed their joint commitment to advancing a comprehensive, balanced, fair and mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Further, the Consultations covered cooperation in multilateral fora and institutional dialogue mechanisms, the statement highlighted. India and Belgium also exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues of importance. In a post on X, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said," Secretary (West) @AmbSibiGeorge held the 3rd round of India-Belgium Foreign Office Consultations with Ms. Theodora Gentzis, President of the Board of Belgian MFA @BelgiumMFA. They reviewed the full spectrum of India-Belgium relations, discussed the deepening India-European EU ties and exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues of importance." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1985703303423078740 In its concluding remarks, the statement underlined how the Foreign Office Consultations reaffirmed both sides shared commitment to further deepen their bilateral relationship in a multidimensional manner -- political, economic, investment, technology, defence, and people-to-people spheres. (ANI)
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