Brussels, Oct 7 (IANS): Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Wednesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 years of continuous leadership in government and expressed readiness to deepen the partnership between India and Belgium.
In his congratulatory message, Wever described his recent visit to India as “productive.”
In a post on X, Wever stated, “I warmly congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 years of continuous leadership in government, from Gujarat to New Delhi. Following my productive visit to India last month, I look forward to further deepening the strong partnership between our two countries.”
Bart De Wever’s statement comes as PM Modi marks 25 years of uninterrupted leadership as head of government, beginning with his oath as Gujarat Chief Minister on October 7, 2001, and continuing through three terms as Prime Minister of India.
In October 2001, PM Modi was chosen to replace Keshubhai Patel as Gujarat Chief Minister at a difficult time for the state, which was still dealing with the aftermath of the devastating Bhuj earthquake as well as political and administrative challenges. He remained Chief Minister until 2014 before moving to national politics.
PM Modi’s tenure as India’s Prime Minister has been marked by an expanded international profile for the country, with the government pursuing greater diplomatic engagement, stronger relations with major powers and a prominent role for India in the Global South.
Last month, Bart De Wever was on an official visit to India. It was his first visit to India after assuming office in February last year and also the first visit by a Belgian PM to India in two decades.
During his visit to India, Wever reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral ties with PM Modi during their bilateral talks at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the partnership between India and Belgium while also discussing regional and global issues of mutual interest.
“The two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, with a focus on defence, trade, investment, innovation, semiconductors, fintech, critical minerals, people-to-people ties, and academic and research cooperation. They also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the close and multifaceted India-Belgium partnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) posted on X.
PM Modi and PM Bart De Wever witnessed the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in the field of defence, renewable energy, combating crime and establishing diplomatic training between the two nations. The two sides agreed to double the bilateral trade in next five years, establish a business forum, an investment forum and a consular dialogue, the MEA stated.
