India, Belgium Deepen Defence Ties, Sign Pacts For Joint Production Of Military Hardware

India and Belgium bolstered their defense ties on Thursday, signing multiple agreements to deepen military and industrial cooperation. The discussions came during talks between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Belgian counterpart Theo Francken, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever.

Following their meeting, the two ministers reviewed the full scope of defense and industrial cooperation between the nations. They agreed to expand their engagement through training, capacity-building initiatives, and regional peace and security cooperation, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. A defence framework agreement was signed, along with 10 other pacts promoting cooperation between Indian and Belgian defense industries.

One of these agreements involves the joint production of Belgian military hardware, including rockets, in India. This move puts industrial cooperation at the forefront of the expanding defense relationship, potentially accelerating joint manufacturing between companies from both countries. Belgium's Prime Minister Francken emphasized the strategic importance of maritime security and the increasing interconnectivity of Europe's security with developments in Asia.

He also expressed concerns over Russia's war in Ukraine and military cooperation with Iran and North Korea, highlighting the need for greater collaboration with strong partners like India. Belgium confirmed it will not supply critical military hardware to Pakistan, while both sides discussed potential deepening of industrial cooperation in emerging and advanced defense technologies, including cyber security, artificial intelligence-enabled unmanned aerial systems, underwater domain vehicles, and complex weapon systems.