President Murmu departs for three-nation European visit to boost ties
The first phase of the three-country visit begins in Moldova on Monday, marking the first visit by the Indian President to the Eastern European country.
During the visit, President Murmu is scheduled to meet with the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, as well as to hold delegation-level talks with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu.
The President will also interact with representatives of the Moldova-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, speak at a Business Forum and engage with the Indian diaspora.
“India and Moldova enjoy warm and friendly relations. This visit will mark an important and historic milestone and elevate bilateral relations to a broad-based partnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Friday. he said.
“There is ample scope for mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health and medicine, IT and education,” the ministry said.
Following his visit in Moldova, President Murmu will travel to North Macedonia for a two-day visit from 21 to 22 July, at the invitation of President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova. This landmark visit will similarly be the inaugural visit of an Indian President to North Macedonia. The planned itinerary includes bilateral meetings with President Siljanovska-Davkova, meetings with the Speaker of the Parliament as well as Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and a speech to the national parliament.
President Murmu is also scheduled to address the India-North Macedonia Business Forum as both countries aim to expand trade ties in focus areas such as farming, pharmaceuticals, science and information technology.
Briefing reporters on Friday, MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George said: “The tri-nation visit reflects India’s growing engagement with central and eastern Europe and reaffirms our resolve to strengthen our partnerships with countries in the region.”
“This also complements India’s broader engagement with Europe and its strategic partnership with the European Union,” George said. he added.
In the final part of the visit, the President will travel to Romania from 23 to 25 July at the invitation of President Nicusor Dan, marking the first visit by an Indian President to the South-East European country in over three decades.
President Murmu will hold talks with President Dan, interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, Senate President Mircea Abrudean and Speaker of the House of Representatives Sorin Grindeanu, in addition to interactions with the Romania-India Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group.
His program also includes an address to the India-Romania Business Forum and a meeting with the local Indian community.
According to the MEA, Romania represents an important partner within the European bloc and the imminent completion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement is expected to significantly boost bilateral economic relations.
The high-level diplomatic mission underscores New Delhi’s priority on deepening ties with these three states as well as expanding its geopolitical footprint in the broader Eastern European region.
Significantly, Moldova, North Macedonia and Romania had earlier condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated their solidarity with India in the fight against global terrorism.
