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President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday concluded a landmark three-nation European visit, securing key diplomatic breakthroughs with Moldova, North Macedonia, and Romania to significantly bolster bilateral ties across trade, defence, tourism, and core economic sectors.
The diplomatic engagement marked several historic milestones, establishing Murmu as the first Indian head of state to visit both Moldova and North Macedonia. Her arrival in Romania also marked the first visit by an Indian president to the Eastern European nation in over three decades. During the final leg of her visit to Romania, which began on July 23, New Delhi and Bucharest agreed to double their trade volume over the next three years while deepening defence cooperation and allied strategic areas. President Murmu held comprehensive talks on bilateral relations with Romanian President Nicusor Dan and separately engaged with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. She also addressed the India-Romania Business Forum in Bucharest on Friday and interacted with members of the India-Romania Parliamentary Friendship Group. Recognising her public leadership and international outreach, the Bucharest University of Economic Studies conferred an honorary doctorate upon President Murmu. The "Doctor Honoris Causa" represents the institution's highest academic distinction, awarded to eminent personalities for exceptional contributions to academia, public service and international cooperation. Before she departed for the airport on Saturday, President Murmu met with members of the Indian diaspora. Romania currently hosts over 13,500 Indian nationals, including approximately 10,000 workers. Earlier, during her visit to North Macedonia from July 21 to 22, President Murmu held bilateral discussions with President Gordana Sijanovska-Davkova, which were followed by delegation-level talks. Both nations resolved to double bilateral trade figures and identified joint opportunities in tourism, hospitality, and filmmaking. During her stay in Skopje, Murmu addressed the Assembly of North Macedonia and presided over the inaugural session of the India-North Macedonia Business Forum. The European visit commenced on July 20 in Moldova, where President Murmu held extensive talks with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, evaluating the entire spectrum of bilateral engagement. The two leaders agreed to intensify joint efforts across key sectors, including agriculture, logistics, infrastructure, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, and innovation. (ANI)
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