{"id":36294,"date":"2026-09-05T04:17:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T04:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/36294\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T04:17:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T04:17:14","slug":"we-should-do-what-he-says-belgiums-bart-de-wever-calls-pm-modi-one-of-the-most-inspiring-world-leaders-world-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/36294\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We Should Do What He Says’: Belgium’s Bart De Wever Calls PM Modi ‘One Of The Most Inspiring World Leaders’ | World News"},"content":{"rendered":"

News<\/a> world<\/a> ‘We Should Do What He Says’: Belgium’s Bart De Wever Calls PM Modi ‘One Of The Most Inspiring World Leaders’<\/p>\n

Last Updated:September 05, 2026, 08:36 IST<\/p>\n

Belgian Premier Bart De Wever praised PM Narendra Modi as an inspiring and wise leader. He also criticized arbitrary tariffs, taking a veiled dig at US President Donald Trump\"font\"\"new\"new<\/a>\"Belgium's<\/p>\n

Belgium’s Premier Bart De Wever and PM Narendra Modi (Image credit: X\/@Bart_DeWever)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Belgian Premier Bart De Wever on Friday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his rational thinking and wise decision-making, while also describing him as \u201cone of the most inspiring” world leaders.<\/p>\n

He was addressing the India-Belgium High-Level Dialogue on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement in Mumbai, Maharashtra.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honour to be here. Finally, I\u2019m in India. The previous trip had to be cancelled due to COVID. Now, I am here. And what an honour to meet your Prime Minister, Prime Minister Modi, in Delhi yesterday”, De Wever said.<\/p>\n

The Belgian Prime Minister said while \u201cmany world leaders” invoke threats in their speeches, PM Modi\u2019s words carry inspiration and guidance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI consider him to be one of the most inspiring world leaders we have. If you hear many world leaders, you feel afraid, disturbed, threatened. But when Mr. Modi speaks, you think, \u2018we should do what he says'”.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a wise leader”, De Wever said.<\/p>\n

Veiled Dig At Trump<\/p>\n

Bart De Wever also took a veiled dig at US President Donald Trump over his \u201carbitrary” tariff decisions and rapidly-shifting trade policies. He also called for stronger economic partnerships as well as open markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore and more voices today are calling for barriers to go up, for markets to be shut off, for tariffs to be imposed. Some do this entirely arbitrarily. They decide something on Monday, they revoke it on Wednesday, and they reinstall it on Saturday,” De Wever said.<\/p>\n

Accompanied by Belgium\u2019s Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade Theo Francken and a high-level delegation, De Wever arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday, September 2.<\/p>\n

This was his first official visit to India since he assumed the office as Belgian Prime Minister in February 2025.<\/p>\n

India, Belgium Set Target Of Doubling Trade\u00a0<\/p>\n

During talks between the two Prime Ministers, India and Belgium set a target of doubling bilateral trade over the next five years. The two sides also inked a Letter of Intent of Defence Cooperation as well as a separate Memorandum of Understanding between the Belgian Security and Defence Industry Association and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers.<\/p>\n

The trade pact with Belgium aligns with India\u2019s strategy of diversifying its trade partnerships amid an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape. It also seeks to strengthen defence cooperation and bilateral relations between the two countries.<\/p>\n

Handpicked stories, in your inbox<\/p>\n

A newsletter with the best of our journalism<\/p>\n

submit<\/p>\n

Quick AnswersPowered by\"askAsk News18What did Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever say about PM Modi during his India visit in September 2026?<\/p>\n

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever lauded PM Narendra Modi as “one of the most inspiring” world leaders, praising his rational thinking and wise decision-making. De Wever stated that when PM Modi speaks, people feel inspired to follow his guidance, contrasting this with other leaders whose speeches evoke fear or disturbance.<\/p>\n

What agreements were made between India and Belgium during Bart De Wever’s visit in September 2026?<\/p>\n

During Bart De Wever’s visit, India and Belgium set a target to double bilateral trade within the next five years. They also signed a Letter of Intent for Defence Cooperation and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Belgian Security and Defence Industry Association and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers. The countries are also collaborating on modern defense equipment like the ‘Zorawar’ tank and a green ammonia project in Andhra Pradesh.<\/p>\n

When did Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever visit India and what was the purpose of his trip?<\/p>\n

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, for a three-day visit, his first official trip to India since becoming Prime Minister in February 2025. The visit aimed to strengthen economic partnerships, defence cooperation, and bilateral relations, including discussions on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement and increasing trade between the two nations.<\/p>\n

Powered by\"askAsk News18About the Author\"MeemansaMeemansa Shekhawat<\/a>Sub-editor<\/p>\n

A Journalism graduate, Meemansa Shekhawat is a sub-editor at News18. Driven by a keen interest in news, she is a passionate writer with specialisation in national and international affairs. You can re…Read More<\/p>\n

\"instagram\"<\/a>First Published:<\/p>\n

September 05, 2026, 08:36 IST<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"News world ‘We Should Do What He Says’: Belgium’s Bart De Wever Calls PM Modi ‘One Of The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36295,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[76,7,9727,7812,19136,4794,5284,19581,19580],"class_list":["post-36294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-belgium","tag-bart-de-wever","tag-belgium","tag-bilateral-trade","tag-defence-cooperation","tag-india-belgium-relations","tag-india-eu-fta","tag-narendra-modi","tag-trade-policies","tag-world-leaders"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@be\/117216506614601515","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}