Examine the strategic rationale behind India deepening defence ties with mid-sized European powers like Belgium in the context of Indo-Pacific dynamics.

India's defence diplomacy is widening beyond traditional suppliers towards mid-sized European partners. The March 2025 talks between the Raksha Mantri and Belgium's Princess Astrid and Defence Minister Theo Francken — where both sides discussed defence engagement in the Indo-Pacific, particularly the maritime domain — illustrate a deliberate strategic recalibration rather than a routine trade encounter [1][2].

Diversifying strategic partnerships

• Mid-sized European states offer technology access without geopolitical baggage, reducing dependence on a narrow supplier base amid great-power rivalry.
• Belgium, an EU and NATO member, extends India's reach into European security decision-making at modest political cost [2].

Building Indo-Pacific coalitions

• Europe's growing Indo-Pacific interest converges with India's goal of a free, open and rules-based maritime order; maritime domain cooperation was explicitly flagged in the 2025 talks [1].
• Partnerships rest on shared normative ground — the bilateral relationship is officially anchored in rule of law, federalism and pluralism [3].

Advancing Atmanirbharta through co-development

• The emphasis was on co-development and co-production, not off-the-shelf purchase; Belgian firms were invited to expand their footprint in India and integrate Indian vendors into their global supply chains [1].
• A commercial substrate already exists, with over 160 Belgian companies operating in India [3].

Leveraging proven high-technology collaboration

• The Devasthal 3.6-m optical telescope and the world's largest liquid mirror telescope at ARIES, Nainital, built with Belgian firm AMOS, demonstrate credible joint high-technology capability [3].

Limitations

• The two sides agreed only to explore an institutionalised mechanism; no binding pact yet exists, and Belgium's modest defence-industrial scale limits strategic weight [1].

India's Belgium outreach is thus a low-cost, high-leverage element of a wider European strategy — accumulating niche technologies, supply-chain links and Indo-Pacific partners. Converting such engagements into structured mechanisms and firm co-production contracts would align defence diplomacy with Atmanirbhar Bharat, deepening both India's strategic autonomy and its role as a net security provider.