An Indian official delegation led by H.E. Mr. Sharma, Minister of Commerce of India visited Antwerp, at the invitation of Kris Peeters, Minister-President of Flanders. This year, Flanders hosts the Horasis Global India Business Meeting, an initiative of the Flemish government, where no less than 300 Indian and Flemish CEO’s were present.

The Indian delegation was welcomed by AWDC’s Vice President Kaushik Mehta and AWDC CEO, Ari Epstein. India and Belgium, and especially Mumbai and Antwerp, have shared a long history of trade relations. Antwerp is reputed as the worlds first and foremost diamond trading centre, and India as the polishing capital of the world.

AWDC’s CEO, Mr. Ari Epstein said: “We are very honoured to have Mr. Sharma as our guest here at AWDC today. It is no secret that the Belgium-Indian trade relationships have been thriving, with a prominent role for the Antwerp diamond industry. Today already, diamonds represent an impressive 86 percent of Belgium's total exports to India. At the rate India's economy is growing, that figure can only go up. This visit and the commitment of the honourable Minister to extend our partnership further confirms the mutual beneficial commercial alliances between both our countries.”