Belgium optimises its network of diplomatic posts to increase its impact

The world is changing – and at an incredible pace. Geopolitical shifts are accelerating, with diplomacy becoming increasingly transactional. Multilateralism is under unprecedented pressure, seriously and lastingly disrupting the international order that has so far relied on respect for the rule of law. Tariff and trade wars are forcing countries to rethink their network of partners and diversify their sphere of action and influence, whereas Belgium has historically favoured a strategy of concentrated engagement, notably in Africa, where we naturally intend to remain strongly present. Armed conflicts are multiplying, reaching the borders of Europe and triggering major relocations in several strategic economic sectors. Development cooperation is facing budget cuts worldwide, which – in addition to geopolitical considerations – requires a thorough reassessment of its operational methods.

For the first time in several decades, Development Cooperation and Foreign Affairs have been brought together under a single ministerial portfolio, creating an opportunity for better alignment between the two areas and for more coherent support to Belgium’s foreign policy.

All these developments made it necessary to reassess our network of diplomatic posts – an exercise that had not been carried out for 12 to 15 years, which is an eternity in geopolitical terms.

This is why Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European

Affairs and Development Cooperation, launched an extensive reflection process to optimise Belgium’s network of diplomatic posts. Following this process, the Minister decided to strengthen about twenty posts, open five new ones and close eight, thereby ensuring that Belgium has a diplomatic network that is broad, ambitious, resilient and forward-looking.

Diplomatic posts are essential actors in supporting and defending Belgium’s interests and those of Belgians abroad. They enable us to assist Belgian citizens and businesses, and to play a crucial political and economic role in areas ranging from security to migration and energy. They are also key players in our development cooperation.

Belgium already has a vast diplomatic infrastructure around the world. The aim was therefore to optimise it, equipping our country with a future-oriented network and strengthening our presence where our interests are – and will be – at stake, and where our presence delivers the greatest added value.

While this decision includes the opening of five new posts and the reinforcement of several existing ones, it also entails the closure of eight posts. These closures in no way diminish the importance we attach to maintaining bilateral relations with the countries concerned. This is not the end of our diplomatic relations with them. On the contrary, we will redesign the way we engage with these countries, whether through posts in neighbouring states or through the work of our special envoys.

We will not be absent from these countries; we will be present in a different way. It is also important to stress that the quality of services provided to Belgian citizens will not be affected.

These changes will be gradually implemented over the course of 2026 and 2027. The Minister will ensure that the teams concerned – starting with those whose post will be closed – receive the appropriate support throughout this transition.

It might be tempting to assume that this strategic repositioning of our diplomatic posts is driven by a desire to cut costs. That would be a misconception.

First, Minister Prévot, in his capacity as head of a security-related department, ensured that our diplomatic network would not be subjected to the annual linear budget cuts of nearly 2% imposed elsewhere. This is fully consistent with the turbulent international context, which demands – more than ever – substantial investment in diplomacy and preventive action, alongside the increased spending on defence.

Second, although some posts will be closed, new ones will be opened to ensure that our network aligns better with the strategic challenges of today and the coming years.

Finally, the positive budgetary balance resulting from the ratio between closures and openings will be reinvested, releasing essential resources that our current network urgently needs to strengthen several teams. Some embassies operate with such limited staffing that both the quantity and quality of their work are affected. Yet this is a time when we must strengthen our diplomatic capacity and defend our interests in sensitive or strategic geopolitical regions.

This is also an opportunity to create a pool of “flying diplomats” – a kind of rescue pool – who can be deployed temporarily to support posts facing unprecedented crises, long-term illness, or parental or maternity leave. When a post operates with only two diplomats and one becomes unavailable, the impact is considerable.

This initiative is therefore driven solely by strategic redeployment.

The strength of a diplomatic network lies in its long-term perspective. Short-term events must never dictate a decision to open or close a post. Decisions must be taken with a medium- and long-term horizon in mind.

Conversely, the argument “we have always been there” cannot justify maintaining a post without reassessing its relevance. The historical presence of a diplomatic mission should serve as an asset for the future, not as an excuse to remain indefinitely.

We must also dare to make strategic choices in fast-developing regions, in order to contribute to and benefit from their economic growth.

Today’s decision is based on an analysis carried out over several months by the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. Several parameters were considered: our political and economic interests, our security needs, the objectives of our development cooperation, consular requirements, operational needs and their costs (staff, buildings), as well as external factors such as the representation of the federated entities or partners such as Defence, the federal police and the Immigration Office.

Beyond these elements, the strengthening of our network follows a guiding principle: ensuring that Belgium’s external action – built on the three D’s (Diplomacy, Development, Defence) – remains credible and effective in these turbulent times. The upcoming budgetary debates will therefore be decisive.

The choice made today is part of a strategic reflection on Belgium’s positioning on the world stage, in a geopolitical environment undergoing rapid change. It is an exercise in coherence with our foreign policy and with Belgium’s ambitions, achieved through a rebalancing of resources and capacities. It not only strengthens Belgium’s voice and role internationally, but also our ability to respond to the challenges of today and tomorrow. It is about projecting ourselves into a changing world and showing ambition for our country by defining the future role of our diplomacy.

Europe

Europe is one of the most important drivers of our prosperity and security. We have a strong presence there, and we will continue to give absolute priority to defending our interests within the European Union and across the wider European continent.

We will strengthen our relations with the Baltic States by allocating additional resources to the various diplomatic posts responsible for these countries.

The Balkans are a key region in terms of security, migration and economic opportunities. It is also a region aspiring to join the European Union – an ambition that Belgium fully supports. This is why we will open an embassy in Tirana, a long-missing piece of our network. We will also further reorganise our regional presence by closing our post in Sarajevo.

Africa

Africa is a crucial continent for the future of Europe and Belgium. The youthfulness of its population, the growing entrepreneurial energy, and the opportunities to advance the continent’s energy and climate transition encourage us to build modern and mutually beneficial partnerships to strengthen and consolidate our relations with African partners. We must maintain a strong presence there, both out of conviction and shared values, and to work on safeguarding global public goods such as stability, health, and climate. Belgium is able to offer fair partnership models that differ from those aimed at resource extraction. The African population is expected to nearly double by 2050; the needs are immense, and so are the geopolitical challenges that come with it.

To strengthen our institutional relations, reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism and highlight the importance of regional integration, we will appoint a Permanent Representative to the African Union as an observer in Addis Ababa, in addition to our Ambassador to Ethiopia.

West Africa will continue to hold particular importance. Our network there is shaped by a combination of economic and diplomatic interests and global public goods. We will focus on Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal by strengthening several existing posts to ensure better follow-up in these countries. We will, however, close our post in Conakry, while improving access to Belgian consular services in Guinea.

In the Sahel, we will close our embassy in Bamako. Our presence there is currently constrained by severe operational and security challenges. This does not mean – as with all other closures – that we are disengaging from Mali, which remains a key actor in the region. We will maintain our relations in a different manner, fully aware of the region’s importance. This requires continuous engagement from our diplomatic system to anticipate threats and seize new opportunities. We will therefore maintain two posts in the central Sahel – Ouagadougou and Niamey – and confirm the crucial role of our Special Envoy for the Sahel to ensure an integrated, regional approach. Our Ambassador in Ouagadougou will also be responsible for managing our relations with the Malian authorities.

In the south of the continent, we will diversify our partnerships by opening an embassy in Windhoek. Namibia offers new and promising opportunities – in energy transition and port development – that we intend to seize. We will close our diplomatic office in Mozambique, which will now be covered by our embassy in Pretoria.

In the Great Lakes region, we will strengthen our embassy in Kinshasa to better follow economic dynamics, including development corridors and emerging opportunities. We will also allocate additional resources to the post in Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, which will expand its jurisdiction to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Belgium has long maintained a partnership relationship through development cooperation with Guinea, Mali and Mozambique. The closure of these posts must not be interpreted as an additional reduction of resources for cooperation. On the contrary, it is our ambition to continue cooperation with these countries through various instruments and channels. Together with local authorities and stakeholders, we will ensure a smooth and gradual transition of existing programmes to a new form of cooperation, better aligning development cooperation with Belgium’s foreign policy.

America

Across the American continent, we are present in the most influential economic hubs in the United States, Central America, and Latin America.

New challenges – including the fight against international organized crime – require us to strengthen our capacities in Panama and Chile. However, our embassy in Havana will be closed. Consular assistance for Belgian tourists in the Caribbean region will be provided from Panama City.

In Brazil, we will close the Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro and concentrate our presence in our posts in Brasília and São Paulo.

It will also be essential that Belgium – in addition to further diversifying its relations with the United

States and Canada, both of which remain key allies – devote greater attention and interest to the South American continent. We will develop an updated and ambitious global strategy, recognizing the major partnership potential with countries in Central and Latin America, which our diplomacy has tended to insufficiently prioritize.

Middle East

Our network in the Middle East largely aligns with our strategic objectives. However, to deepen our diplomatic relations with the Gulf countries, we will reinforce our embassies in Riyadh and Doha. We will also open a new embassy in Muscat to strengthen our diplomatic ties with the Sultanate of Oman and to seize new economic opportunities that Belgian economic actors have long encouraged us to pursue. Conversely, we will close our embassy in Kuwait City.

Finally, in light of the rapid developments in the Middle East region and considering the security and migration challenges, as well as the economic opportunities related to reconstruction, regional stabilization, and a gradual transition toward a more inclusive governance model, we will appoint an ambassador for Syria, residing in Beirut.

Asia, a driver of economic growth and technological progress, offers significant potential for Belgium. We are already well represented there, and we will strengthen our embassies in New Delhi, Manila and Kuala Lumpur, while closing our Consulate General in Guangzhou and further reinforcing our post in Beijing.

Central Asia presents major strategic opportunities, particularly through the development of the Trans-Caspian corridor (“new Silk Road”). It is a rapidly expanding region in which Belgium must assert itself more strongly. It is also a high-potential region situated in a crucial geopolitical environment, bordered by China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Iran and Afghanistan. It represents a strategic investment in the future of a region that will experience a major development boom in the decade ahead. Several foreign powers have already understood this and are investing heavily there.

This is why we will open an embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

By equipping itself with a strong, sustainable diplomatic network built around clear strategic priorities, Belgium will be better positioned on the international stage and able to defend its interests and security more effectively. The new architecture of our network will enable us to meet today’s challenges–and tomorrow’s–with greater efficiency.

“Belgium’s network of diplomatic posts plays an essential role in ensuring that our country’s voice is heard on the international stage, and in defending the security, interests and values of Belgium and its citizens. They are also ‘our eyes and ears’ on the ground. Our posts allow us to understand what is happening abroad, to identify opportunities for partnerships and exchanges, and to detect and report threats and problematic situations. The events of recent months have reminded us of how vital this is. To fully realise its value, our network must become more agile; it must adapt to the evolving geopolitical context and make optimal use of its human and financial resources in an increasingly disrupted geostrategic and economic environment”, concludes Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot.

Spokesperson: Audrey JACQUIEZ – audrey.jacquiez@diplobel.fed.be - 0497/161.861 (FR)

Spokesperson: Laurens SOENEN – laurens.soenen@diplobel.fed.be – 0471/30.11.90 (NL)