Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever arrived in India with an uncommon and considerate present for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a miniature reproduction of Delhi’s iconic India Gate made totally from Belgian chocolate. There was only one downside. The chocolate sculpture didn’t survive the journey to India. Throughout a joint press convention with PM Modi in New Delhi on September 3, De Wever shared the story with a contact of humour. He mentioned he had deliberate to current Modi with a sculpture of India Gate made out of “the very best Belgian goodies.” Nonetheless, not like the true India Gate, which has stood for nearly a century, the chocolate model couldn’t make it by means of the journey intact. “Chocolate is great for diplomacy, however not wonderful for diplomatic journey,” De Wever joked.
A present with a deeper that means
Whereas the story introduced laughter to the press convention, the present was greater than only a candy gesture. De Wever selected India Gate due to the shared historical past between India and Belgium. The monument in New Delhi commemorates Indian troopers who served and died through the First World Struggle. In keeping with the official India-Belgium joint assertion, PM Modi and De Wever recalled the sacrifice of greater than 9,000 Indian troopers within the Flanders Fields through the First World Struggle. Their sacrifice stays an vital a part of the historic connection between the 2 nations. The chocolate reproduction was due to this fact meant to attach Belgium’s well-known chocolate custom with a major Indian monument and the nations’ shared historical past.
The chocolate present didn’t make it
The bizarre current, nevertheless, confronted a really fashionable diplomatic downside, journey. De Wever defined that the chocolate India Gate didn’t survive the journey to India. Experiences have described the present as having melted or been broken throughout transit, however De Wever’s personal wording was that the chocolate model “didn’t even survive the journey to India.” As a substitute of treating the mishap as a disappointment, the Belgian prime minister turned it right into a lighthearted second. He additionally revealed {that a} backup model of the chocolate sculpture continues to be in Belgium. De Wever mentioned he intends to get it to PM Modi “in a single piece,” ensuring that the candy diplomatic gesture ultimately reaches its vacation spot.
Greater than a chocolate present
The playful chocolate story got here throughout a go to that carried a lot higher diplomatic significance. De Wever’s India go to, from September 2 to 4, 2026, is his first go to to the nation since turning into Belgium’s prime minister in February 2025. Throughout his assembly with Modi, the 2 leaders mentioned methods to strengthen cooperation between India and Belgium. The 2 nations agreed to develop cooperation in a number of areas, together with commerce, funding, defence, semiconductors, vital minerals, renewable power, and expertise. India and Belgium additionally mentioned stronger maritime and port cooperation. Reuters reported that the 2 nations additionally agreed to work in direction of doubling bilateral commerce over the following 5 years and introduced an Funding Quick-Monitor Mechanism to encourage Belgian funding in India.
A candy second in a severe go to
The chocolate India Gate might not have reached PM Modi as deliberate, however the concept behind it remained intact. The present introduced collectively Belgian chocolate, an iconic Indian landmark, and the shared reminiscence of Indian troopers who fought in Belgium through the First World Struggle. What started as a fastidiously deliberate diplomatic current ended up turning into a humorous second throughout an vital bilateral go to. And maybe that’s what made the gesture memorable. The chocolate sculpture might not have survived the journey, however the message behind it did. As De Wever returns to Belgium, one small diplomatic mission stays unfinished: getting the backup chocolate India Gate to PM Modi, this time, hopefully, in a single piece.
