Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu met King Philippe of the Belgians on Thursday and the two leaders expressed their commitment to boost bilateral investment, trade and people-to-people ties.
Naidu, who is here to attend the 12th ASEM Summit, recalled the friendly ties between the two countries based on shared commonalities and commitment to rule of law, pluralism and federalism, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
"Both sides expressed their commitment to boost investment, trade and people-to-people ties," it said.
The Vice President called for the collective efforts of the global community to counter terrorism.
He also shared his perspective on the successful flagship initiatives of the Government of India including innovative governance to address the complex challenges faced by India as the world's largest democracy and to simultaneously put the country on a faster, inclusive growth and development trajectory.
Naidu thanked Belgium for its support for India's candidacies at the UN and other international organizations. He also thanked Belgium for its support to India's candidacy at the UN Security Council for the term 2021-22.
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The two leaders also discussed their expectations from the 2018 ASEM Summit which is centered on the theme, 'Global Partners for Global Challenges'.
King Philippe had hosted the ASEM Summit in 2010 when Belgium had held the rotating Presidency of the European Union.
The ASEM summit is considered the highest platform for dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe in the areas of trade, investment, security and tourism.
As many as 51 heads of state and government are expected to participate in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) where a wide range of issues from climate change to terrorism are expected to be discussed, an official statement said.
The Vice President will also have bilateral meetings with leaders from Austria, Portugal, Switzerland and other countries on the sidelines of the summit.
He will address the Indian diaspora at the Jain Culture Centre in Wilrijk, Antwerp and pay tributes at a sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi in the Governorate there.