Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets Princess Astrid of Belgium

New Delhi [India], March 3 (ANI): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday met Princess Astrid of Belgium and his Belgian counterpart Theo Francken.

The sister of Belgium’s King Philippe, Princess Astrid is on a visit to India from March 2 to March 8. She was received by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal upon her arrival on Sunday.

During her visit, Princess Astrid will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EAM Jaishankar. She will also visit various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Delhi, according to a statement from the External Affairs Ministry (MEA).

According to the Belgian Ambassador to India, Didier Vanderhasselt, the Princess will be on a Belgian economic mission to India, travelling with a delegation of 335 members and 180 companies. Belgium’s Foreign Minister, Maxime Prevot, will also be part of the economic mission with the princess.

“It is the highest format that we have on the Belgian side, led by H.H. Princess Astrid as the representative of the king. Our new Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is also our Deputy Prime Minister, and other ministers will also be accompanying the delegation of 335 members and 180 companies,” said Vanderhasselt.

The Belgian envoy further mentioned that at least 14 seminars and conferences will focus on sectors such as renewable energy, defence, eco-construction, life sciences, and steel decarbonisation.

“We are going towards a more intense and strategic relationship between the EU and India and also between Belgium and India. We need reliable partners all over the world. India has a very impressive growth of 5-7% every year. So India is very high on our priority list, and it is certainly on the map when it comes to our economic actors,” the Belgian envoy told ANI.

Princess Astrid, the second child of King Albert II and Queen Paola, and sister to King Philippe, leads Belgium’s economic missions as representative of the King. These missions contribute to the development of economic and trade relations between Belgium and its regions and numerous foreign partners, according to a statement from the Belgian Monarchy.

She is the Honorary President of the Queen Elisabeth Medical Foundation (QEMF), and supports the King Baudouin Foundation’s Scientific and Medical Funds. To support fundamental medical research in various fields, Princess Astrid maintains contacts with the scientific world, visiting various sites and participating in award ceremonies.