Current Affairs - International

Belgium is the country with which India is strengthening defence, clean energy, and trade cooperation. On September 4, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in New Delhi. Both countries targeted doubling bilateral trade within five years and announced a fast-track investment mechanism. Cooperation also includes indigenous defence manufacturing, renewable energy, critical minerals, and semiconductor technologies. Belgium is India’s 18th-largest source of foreign direct investment, with investments totalling $4.2 billion between April 2000 and December 2025. Brussels, Belgium’s capital, also hosts the headquarters of NATO and the European Union.

Uzbekistan partnered with NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the international arm of NPCI, to enable UPI-based payments through the Unified National QR (UZQR) system. Under the agreement with Uzbekistan’s National Interbank Processing Centre (HUMO), Indian travellers, including tourists and students, can make Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payments by scanning UZQR codes using UPI-enabled applications. The partnership received formal approval from the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan. With this development, Uzbekistan joined the growing group of countries accepting UPI for convenient cross-border digital payments.

Kyrgyzstan hosted the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit at the Yrys Ordo Congress Hall in Bishkek under the chairmanship of President Sadyr Japarov. The summit brought together leaders from the SCO’s 10 member states, along with partner and observer countries. India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan participated as member states. The 2026 summit also marked the 25th anniversary of the SCO. Discussions focused on strengthening mutual trust, regional peace and stability, security, connectivity, economic cooperation, and multilateral engagement. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the priorities of Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity.

Copenhagen hosted the 4th India-Denmark MSME Joint Working Group meeting, which focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the MSME sector, innovation, and technology. The meeting brought together representatives from India’s Ministry of MSME and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office. Key areas of discussion included Intellectual Property-led growth, technology transfer, startup support, and innovation. The delegation also participated in TechBBQ, a major Nordic startup event, and visited Aarhus University Innovation Kitchen and Agro Food Park. The engagement reflects the growing economic and technological partnership between India and Denmark, including cooperation benefiting MSMEs and startups.

Turkey became the 71st signatory to the Artemis Accords on August 31, 2026. The agreement was signed by Turkiye’s Minister for Industry and Technology, Mehmet Fatih Kacır, at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Artemis Accords establish principles for peaceful, transparent, and cooperative exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Turkiye’s participation reflects its growing interest in space exploration and international cooperation. The country is developing its national space program and preparing its first lunar mission, AYAP-1. Turkiye’s first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, travelled to the International Space Station in 2024 and conducted scientific research.