'Shared commitment to eradicate terrorism': PM Modi as India, Belgium sign key MoUs
India and Belgium concluded a set of Memorandums of Understanding covering defence exchanges and training, renewable energy, cooperation against crime, and diplomatic training between the two countries' foreign service institutes.
Both sides reaffirmed a shared commitment to countering terrorism in all its forms and called for accountability of perpetrators under international law.
The talks referenced the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, condemned as part of the broader counter-terrorism discussion.
The two countries agreed to strengthen intelligence-sharing and cooperation between their respective law enforcement and security agencies.
The visit built on the inaugural India-Belgium Ministerial-level Strategic Dialogue held earlier in 2026, establishing an institutional framework for continuing security cooperation.
Institutional Mechanisms for Global Counter-Terrorism Cooperation
Beyond bilateral statements, global counter-terrorism cooperation runs through specific UN institutions. The UN Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee (originally established in 1999, targeting Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, later expanded to cover ISIL/Da'esh-linked entities) can designate individuals and groups for asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes. Separately, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body founded in 1989, sets global standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing and maintains "grey" and "black" lists of non-compliant jurisdictions. India has consistently used both platforms to press for the listing of individuals and groups linked to cross-border terrorism.
Key Details
- UNSC 1267 Committee: comprises all 15 UNSC members; can impose sanctions such as asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes on designated terrorist individuals/entities.
- FATF was established in 1989 and monitors countries' compliance with anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing standards.
- India has repeatedly sought UNSC 1267 designations against Pakistan-based groups following major terror incidents.
- The UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) are additional bodies India engages with on this agenda.
The "shared commitment to eradicate terrorism" reaffirmed with Belgium fits into India's wider diplomatic strategy of building bilateral and multilateral coalitions (via mechanisms like UNSC 1267 and FATF) to pressure for international accountability on cross-border terrorism, following the April 2025 Pahalgam attack.
Defence Cooperation MoUs: Purpose and Legal Character
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in defence cooperation is typically a non-binding framework document that establishes areas of collaboration, such as joint exercises, training exchanges, information-sharing, or defence-industrial partnerships, without creating enforceable treaty obligations under international law. India uses defence MoUs as a first step in structuring military-to-military engagement with partner countries, distinct from formal defence pacts or logistics agreements (such as India's LEMOA/COMCASA/BECA agreements with the United States).
Key Details
- MoUs are generally non-binding, unlike treaties, which create binding obligations under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
- India's defence cooperation architecture includes MoUs (training/exchanges), Information Exchange Agreements, and specialised "foundational agreements" like LEMOA (logistics), COMCASA (communications security), and BECA (geospatial data) signed with the US.
- Defence MoUs with European partners typically focus on military training exchanges, defence-industrial cooperation, and joint manufacturing rather than deep interoperability agreements.
The India-Belgium MoU on military exchanges and training cooperation represents an early-stage framework agreement, laying institutional groundwork that could later be built upon with more substantive defence-industrial or technology-sharing arrangements.
India-EU Strategic Partnership Architecture
India's engagement with individual EU member states like Belgium operates alongside its broader India-EU Strategic Partnership, established in 2004, which covers political dialogue, trade, connectivity, and security cooperation. Belgium hosts key EU institutions in Brussels, making it a diplomatically significant venue for India's EU-level engagement, including summits and ministerial dialogues that shape the broader relationship.
Key Details
- The India-EU Strategic Partnership was established in 2004, later reinforced through the 2020 India-EU Strategic Partnership Roadmap.
- Belgium is host to the EU's principal institutions (European Commission, European Council, Council of the EU).
- The inaugural India-Belgium Ministerial-level Strategic Dialogue was held in Brussels in mid-2026, ahead of the September 2026 bilateral visit.
Belgium's dual identity, as a bilateral partner and as host of EU institutions, means agreements signed during this visit reinforce both the direct India-Belgium relationship and India's broader institutional engagement with the European Union.
- MoUs signed: defence exchanges/training, renewable energy, cooperation against crime, diplomatic training (foreign service institutes).
- UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee: established 1999; comprises all 15 UNSC members.
- FATF: established 1989; sets global anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing standards.
- Referenced attack: Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, April 2025.
- India-EU Strategic Partnership established: 2004.
- Inaugural India-Belgium Ministerial-level Strategic Dialogue: Brussels, mid-2026.