Xavier Bettel Addresses Raisina Dialogue Conference in India

Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, made a working visit to India, from Sunday 16 to Tuesday 18 March 2025.

During the visit, Minister Bettel met the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

According to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Foreign Trade, these exchanges made it possible to address bilateral relations between Luxembourg and India and to discuss the main international and regional developments.

"Luxembourg and India enjoy excellent bilateral relations and I am delighted to have been able to discuss the deepening of our political and economic links with my Indian interlocutors, in particular with regard to the fields of finance, steel, trade or ICT", underlined Minister Bettel.

Minister Bettel then participated in the multilateral "Raisina Dialogue" conference which brings together representatives of civil society every year, economic actors, journalists and high Indian and foreign dignitaries in order to discuss the main global geo-political and geo-economic challenges.

The conference was the opportunity for Minister Bettel to exchange informally with many of his counterparts and other actors in civil society, the private sector and the academic world. In this context, Minister Bettel declared: "In a world marked by changing alliances, increasing and sometimes distrust, it is crucial to seek open and frank dialogue with our partners around the world. This is essential to guarantee mutual understanding and a better future for all."

During a round table on the role of the EU in a multi-polar world marked by changing alliances, Minister Bettel stressed that Europe should affirm its role by investing in its own security, technology and the development of its infrastructure, while remaining faithful to its fundamental values ​​and continuing to dialogue with its partners in the world.

Finally, Minister Bettel took part in an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), one of the two large Indian chambers of commerce, which enabled him to highlight the assets of the Luxembourg economy in the presence of many representatives of the private sector.