Belgium has reaffirmed its desire to step up collaboration on defence with India as Europe adapts to changing geopolitical environments following the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot called for the need for “strategic autonomy” in Europe, following the USA’s changed stance on the war in Ukraine.
This comes after a high profile meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belgian Royal Princess Astrid – who accompanied a 300 member strong business delegation on an economic mission to India. Belgian Defence minister Theo Francken announced that the country would deploy a Defence attaché in India and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation by 2025-end.
In a major development, Belgium’s John Cockerill Defence and India’s Electro Pneumatics & Hydraulics Pvt. Ltd. launched a joint venture to produce tank turrets focused at the beginning on Indian Army’s light tank portion. The pact is a good fit with India’s “Make in JIndia” policy and enhances bilateral defence ties. 
In the meantime, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to travel to Moscow to lay the ground for a top level Modi-Putin meeting as part of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations in May.
As Europe stands at a juncture of great change, its diplomatic pursuit of India shows Belgium’s push to fortify its military, economic partnerships and ensure because and strength the world is once again filled with uncertainty.
