palanpuronline

News & Events

News Room >> News & Event >> News Content

06 Sep 2026

Belgian PM Hails Palanpuri Jains' Contribution to Bilateral Ties, Highlights Role of Kirtilal Mehta

The Prime Minister of Belgium, Mr Bart de Wever, recently highlighted the role of the Palanpuri Jain diamantaires in building the strong foundation on which India and Belgium have established close bilateral ties, especially in the diamond industry. He particularly singled out Kirtilal Manilal Mehta as symbolising the close connections between Mumbai and Antwerp, India and Belgium.

Mr Wever was addressing a reception held in his honour during his visit to the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai.

Speaking to an audience comprising leading members of the trade, Mr Wever said that not many people know how Antwerp and India developed such close ties. “These go back for more than one hundred years, when, in the middle of the nineteen twenties, the first Indian entrepreneurs arrived in my city. Most of them were Jain traders and craftsmen from Palanpur,” he said.

Describing the first Indian entrepreneurs as the ones who “planted the seeds of what is today a thriving Indian community that lives in Antwerp and works in the trade”, he explained how their work ethic and values helped them to progress. “They began with small rough stones of low quality on margins so thin that they could barely make a living, but worked their way up stone by stone, year after year, until the large diamonds passed through their hands as well. They did it without significant capital and without a network, because they had something better. They were utterly reliable and trustworthy, like solid gold.”

Mr Wever also specifically praised Kirtilal Manilal Mehta who was born in Palanpur in 1907. Praising Shri Mehta as “a born international entrepreneur, who expanded his business to Antwerp in the 1950s, and received the Order of Leopold from the hands of our king,” he described how used his wealth to build Lilavati hospital in Mumbai, named after his first wife who had died because there was no medical care available when she needed it. “This is the finest example I know of what a true and faithful partnership can produce,” he concluded.

Click here to view Video of the full speech