Belgian Prime Minister H.E. Bart De Wever made the first-ever visit by a prime minister of any country to the Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), Mumbai, in a high-profile engagement that underscored the more than 100-year partnership between India and Belgium and the importance of their diamond industries.
The Prime Minister was accorded a grand welcome by industry stakeholders during his visit to the BDB and the headquarters of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) in Mumbai.
Addressing representatives of India’s gem and jewellery industry, H.E. Bart De Wever traced the deep-rooted relationship between India and Antwerp back more than a century, when Indian craftsmen and diamond workers began arriving in the Belgian city. He noted, “A century ago, Indian craftsmen came to Antwerp to build a new life, often starting very, very small. Since then, this relationship has come through two World Wars. We have survived the end of the British Empire and the birth of your Republic, to the uncertainty of today with violent conflicts and also an unpredictable economic outlook. Our strong bond survived because people kept their word, generation after generation in both our countries. This is real trust!”
That enduring relationship continues to have a significant economic dimension. In 2025–26, India–Belgium trade in gems and jewellery stood at around US$3.5 billion.
Against this backdrop, he also pointed to the recently concluded India–European Union Free Trade Agreement as an opportunity to turn longstanding political and commercial ties into greater economic cooperation.
“The landmark Free Trade Agreement that India and the European Union concluded in January finally brings us to where we are today, after 20 years of negotiations. That agreement is an expression of strategic trust. It creates opportunities for businesses, for workers, for researchers and for young people. Lasting free trade rests on a single principle: it endures only where both sides are building something. It falls to all of us, then, to turn this political agreement into economic value,” he said. He also looked ahead to how this relationship could evolve, noting: “A century ago, Indian craftsmen came to Antwerp to build a new life, often starting very, very small. Today, in a sense, the movement is being reversed. Antwerp is asking whether your craftsmen might come to our city to work alongside us and to help us build our shared future.”
The visit comes at a significant moment for the India–EU economic relationship, with the trade agreement expected to create new opportunities for businesses on both sides.
The transformative India–EU FTA is expected to further strengthen these economic ties, with bilateral trade projected to double to US$10 billion (~Rs. 91,000 crore) within three years.
For India’s diamond industry, the relationship with Antwerp has particular significance. Antwerp has for decades been one of the world’s major diamond trading centres, while India has developed into a global hub for diamond cutting, polishing and jewellery manufacturing.
It is this longstanding connection between the two diamond centres that also shaped the industry’s response to the Prime Minister’s visit. Mr. Kirit Bhansali, Chairman, GJEPC, said the Prime Minister’s visit reflected the industry’s ambition to build on that history. “India and the European Union concluded negotiations on an FTA, rightly described as the ‘Mother of All Deals’—a landmark and the largest trade agreement ever concluded by either side. The presence of H.E. Bart De Wever here today is a powerful reflection of that shared commitment to take India–Belgium and India–EU relations forward,” Mr. Bhansali said.
Looking beyond the diamond trade, Bhansali added: “Belgium can be a gateway for Indian businesses to Europe, while India offers Belgium access to one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies. This is not only an opportunity for the diamond and jewellery industry. This opportunity cuts across manufacturing, technology, services, logistics and investment for both nations.”
Mr. Anoop Mehta, President, Bharat Diamond Bourse, similarly emphasised the complementary strengths of the two countries in the global diamond trade. “Antwerp and India have formed the backbone of the global diamond pipeline, with our two countries bringing complementary strengths to create a resilient, efficient and responsible global trade.
“Today, we are honoured to welcome H.E. Prime Minister Bart De Wever here as a powerful symbol of the enduring partnership between our two nations and the deep ties that bind our diamond industries,” Mr Mehta said.
The Prime Minister’s visit to the BDB, one of the world’s The historic visit to the BDB—one of the world’s largest diamond trading centres—thus brought together the historical, commercial and strategic dimensions of the India–Belgium relationship. It marked a significant moment for an industry whose links with Belgium have evolved alongside the global diamond trade.
For an industry built on relationships spanning generations, the Prime Minister’s visit offered a clear indication that the historic India–Belgium partnership is now looking towards its next chapter, with trade, skills and closer economic cooperation at its centre.
The visit concluded with an interactive session with committee members of GJEPC and BDB as well as a select number of senior diamantaires representing the top exporting companies and those with a significant presence in Belgium.