India, Belgium to enhance military exchanges, training cooperation: PM Modi

New Delhi, Sep 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described defence and security cooperation a "key pillar" of India-Belgium ties and announced that both nations have agreed to enhance military exchanges and training cooperation.

While addressing a joint press meet with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever following their meeting in New Delhi, PM Modi said that democratic values, a market economy and strong people-to-people ties make India and Belgium "natural partners."

"Defence and security cooperation is a key pillar of our relationship. Today, we have agreed to enhance military exchanges and training cooperation between the two countries. Agreements reached between our governments and defence industries will open up new opportunities for defence co-development and co-production. We will also further strengthen intelligence sharing and cooperation against crime between our respective agencies," he said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that the partnership between India and Belgium has made remarkable progress over the past decade and the scope of bilateral cooperation has expanded beyond traditional sectors to strategic areas like defence and clean energy.

He said that India and Belgium are collaborating on modern defence equipment, such as the Zorawar tank and developing one of the world's largest green ammonia projects in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada.

"The ties between India and Belgium are deeply rooted in history. The courage and sacrifice of thousands of Indian soldiers in Belgium during the First World War remain a vital part of our shared memory. Today, democratic values, a market economy, and strong people-to-people ties make us natural partners," he said.

Hailing India's economic growth, PM Modi said that India's economy has maintained its momentum despite the challenging environment, such as conflicts persisting in several parts of the world.

"Today, the world is going through a period of major upheaval. Conflicts persist in several parts of the world, while uncertainty is affecting every sector like food, fuel and supply chains. Even in this challenging environment, India’s economy has maintained its momentum. India recorded 7.8 per cent growth in the last quarter. Today, India’s growth story is becoming a source of confidence and new opportunities for the world," the Prime Minister said.

Talking about the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between India and the European Union (EU) in January, PM Modi said that it will further strengthen global stability, growth, and shared prosperity. He stated that India's sustained economic progress and the FTA signed between India and the EU have opened up new possibilities for economic ties between the two nations.

"Today, we have taken several significant steps to translate these possibilities into concrete results. We have established an 'Investment Fast-Track Mechanism' in India for Belgian companies. We have decided to make the India-Belgium Business Forum a regular mechanism. We will enhance synergy between the financial, fintech, and regulatory institutions of both nations, and through these measures, we will realise the goal of doubling bilateral trade over the next five years," he further said.

The Prime Minister said that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Belgium on renewable energy will give new momentum to cooperation between the two nations on sustainability.

"A clean energy future and reliable supply chains are our shared priorities. The MoU on renewable energy signed today will give new momentum to our cooperation on sustainability. We have decided to enhance cooperation in the processing and recycling of critical minerals. Belgium's expertise in semiconductors and India's scale complement each other. In this regard, we will work together to integrate Belgium's IMEC Institute with India's semiconductor ecosystem," he added.

Source: IANS