“However not like the true India Gate, which has stood virtually for a century, the chocolate model didn’t even survive the journey to India,” De Wever mentioned. “Chocolate is superb for diplomacy, however not glorious for diplomatic journey.”
The present carried a extra critical message. India Gate is a battle memorial in New Delhi, and De Wever mentioned the reproduction was meant to honor the greater than 9,000 Indian soldiers who fought and died in Belgium’s Flanders Fields throughout World Conflict I.
A backup model continues to be ready in Belgium, De Wever mentioned. He promised the alternative would fare higher: “A method or one other, I’ll get it to Prime Minister Modi in a single piece.”
Diplomatic presents have produced stranger outcomes.
A camel given to former French President François Hollande by Mali was left with a household in Timbuktu, which later slaughtered and ate it. In 2014, then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry offered Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov with two Idaho potatoes.
Past the protocol hiccup, De Wever and Modi agreed to deepen cooperation on protection, organized crime and renewable power, whereas aiming to spice up commerce. De Wever additionally invited Modi to go to Belgium.
