PM Narendra Modi arrives in Brussels to attend India-EU Summit, will hold bilateral talks with Charles Michel

QUICK PILL

• Modi will hold bilateral talks with his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel.

• In his pre-departure statement, PM Modi said the India-EU Summit will advance multi-faceted engagement across a whole range of sectors and described the 28-member European Union as a \"vital trading partner\".

On the first leg of his three-nation tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Brussels on 30 March, almost a week after the city was rocked by a deadly terror attack - which claimed the lives of 32 people and left several injured.

This is Prime Minister Modi's first official visit to Belgium. He was accorded the guard of honour upon his arrival.

"An invigorating mix of bilateral & multilateral diplomacy in the offing as PM @narendramodi departs on 3 nation tour," MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup had tweeted on Tuesday after PM Modi departed from New Delhi.

Busy day ahead for PM Modi in Brussels

PM Modi will attend the 13th India-EU Summit in Brussels today and will also reportedly hold bilateral talks with his Belgian counterpart, Charles Michel. He will also meet the Members of European Parliament (MEPs), Indologists, Belgian CEOs as well as a wide cross section of the Indian diaspora in Belgium.

In Brussels, he is also expected to sign several agreements with EU member nations. In his pre-departure statement, Modi said the India-EU Summit will advance multi-faceted engagement across a whole range of sectors and described the 28-member European Union as a "vital trading partner".

He will also interact with the Board Members of the Association of Diamond Traders in Belgium. Later this evening, he will address a community programme and interact with the Indian diaspora.

Tri-nation tour

After he wraps up his Belgium visit, PM Modi is scheduled to travel to the United States and Saudi Arabia as part of his three-nation tour.

Prime Minister Modi will be in Washington to attend the Fourth Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) on March 31 and April 1, where he is expected to make specific announcements and proposals with regard to nuclear security. From there, he will travel to Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit with a focus on boosting energy and security cooperation.

- With agency inputs