Belgium to add military attache to its embassy in India, says Defence Minister Francken

New Delhi: Belgium’s Defence Minister, Theo Francken, announced on Monday that a military attaché will be added to the Belgian Embassy in India following his meeting with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi.

This will be the first time that the Belgian Embassy in India has a military attaché. “This region is very important, and China is becoming more aggressive,” noted Francken. He emphasised the need for increased cooperation with India in defence matters. “Europe requires more weapons and ammunition, and we will look to India for this,” the Brussels Times quoted him as saying.

Francken said he aims to accelerate the defence budget to reach 2% of the gross domestic product (GDP). “This is absolutely necessary,” he stated. “I believe Belgium is finally waking up to geopolitical realities.”

Francken envisions a “credible Defence budget by the NATO summit in June, which would enhance our country’s credibility and the prestige of our Prime Minister.”

On Monday, Francken also paid tribute to Indian soldiers who fought in the First World War, particularly in Flanders.

Accompanied by a few Indian soldiers, he laid a wreath and observed a minute of silence at the War Memorial. He then visited India Gate, a monument inscribed with the names of over 13,000 soldiers who died in various wars.

Earlier, the Belgium Defence Minister and Princess Astrid of Belgium held talks with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi today, during which the two sides discussed the possibility of defence engagements in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the maritime domain.

They also discussed ways and means to enhance defence industrial cooperation between the two countries.