&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Watch: Belgian PM planned unique gift for PM Modi, but it melted away on journey to India")
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever arrived in India with a unique diplomatic gift in mind for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the chocolate replica of Delhi’s iconic India Gate failed to make it through the journey.
Speaking at a joint press conference on Thursday, De Wever revealed that he had planned to present Modi with a sculpture of India Gate made entirely from Belgian chocolate. The replica, however, did not survive the trip to India.
"I had actually planned to present to Prime Minister Modi a fitting gift — a sculpture of India Gate entirely made out of the best Belgian chocolates. But unlike the real India Gate, which has stood for almost a century, the chocolate version didn't even survive the journey to India. Chocolate is excellent for diplomacy, but not excellent for diplomatic travel, we noticed. But no worries, we have a backup in Belgium, and one way or another, I will get it to Prime Minister Modi in one piece. That's an ambition I leave India with today," Wever said while addressing a joint press conference.
De Wever said the choice of India Gate was deliberate. He described the monument as a symbol of the shared history between India and Belgium as well as the future partnership between the two countries.
The chocolate replica also carried an inscription honouring Indian soldiers who fought and died in Flanders Fields during the First World War.
“More than a century ago, Indian soldiers travelled thousands of miles to fight on Belgian soil, and we have not forgotten this,” he said, recalling their “courage and sacrifice”.
According to De Wever, the episode reflected the “shared history” between India and Belgium and carried a wider message that “peace can never be taken for granted”. He said the lesson had unfortunately become relevant once again in today's world.
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India has changed enormously in two decades
De Wever is on a two-day official visit to India from September 2 to 4, 2026. His visit marks the first trip to India by a Belgian prime minister in two decades. During the visit, he held a meeting with Modi in New Delhi.
The Belgian Prime Minister also praised the changes India has undergone over the past 20 years, particularly during Modi's tenure.
"I also want to thank Prime Minister Modi for the very warm welcome, the hospitality, and the very candid bilateral that we had. It is, for me, as you have said, Prime Minister, a real personal pleasure as a citizen of Antwerp to finally come to India. But it is also particularly meaningful to be here as the first Belgian Prime Minister in 20 years, and that's a very long time. It’s too long. In those 20 years, India has changed enormously, and certainly in the period of the leadership of Prime Minister Modi," said De Wever.
