Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Xavier Bettel will undertake a three-day official visit to India from 7 to 9 September. His program includes high-level engagements in New Delhi and Chennai.

Bettel will arrive in the national capital on Monday and is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at Hyderabad House later in the day. This meeting will mark the first major engagement of his visit.

On Tuesday, Bettel will travel to Chennai where he will visit the IIT-Madras campus. He will also tour the IIT-Madras Research Park, which has become a hub for innovation and collaboration between academia and industry. Later, he will inaugurate a new SES campus, reflecting Luxembourg’s interest in expanding its footprint in India’s technology and education sectors.

The Deputy Prime Minister will depart India in the early hours of Wednesday, concluding his official program.

This visit follows Jaishankar’s engagement with Bettel in Luxembourg earlier this year. During that meeting, the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and explored areas for greater collaboration, particularly in FinTech, space, and Artificial Intelligence.

Jaishankar highlighted the longstanding relationship between India and Luxembourg, noting that the two countries have enjoyed 78 years of diplomatic ties. He emphasised Luxembourg’s importance not only as a bilateral partner but also as a gateway to deeper engagement with the European Union.

The External Affairs Minister praised Bettel for his role in strengthening India-Luxembourg relations and for supporting closer India-EU ties. He acknowledged Bettel’s influence in shaping the larger relationship and his advocacy for deepening cooperation between India and the European Union.

Jaishankar also pointed to the scope for expanding bilateral cooperation beyond traditional trade. He stressed that emerging areas such as FinTech, space, the digital world, and Artificial Intelligence offer significant opportunities for productive collaboration.

India and Luxembourg established diplomatic relations in 1948 and have since maintained warm and friendly relations marked by mutual understanding and cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

Luxembourg opened its Embassy in New Delhi in February 2002 and maintains honorary consuls in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bangalore, underscoring its commitment to strengthening ties with India.

Bettel’s three-day visit, with engagements in both New Delhi and Chennai, is expected to reinforce the partnership and open new avenues for collaboration in technology, innovation, and strategic sectors.

ANI