President Murmu Begins Historic State Visit to North Macedonia

President Murmu described economic cooperation as one of the most important pillars of the bilateral relationship.

President Droupadi Murmu has begun her State Visit to North Macedonia, marking the first time an Indian President has travelled to the Balkan nation. The visit is expected to deepen political, economic and cultural ties while opening new avenues for cooperation in technology, trade, renewable energy and capacity building.

The visit forms the second leg of President Murmu's three-nation tour covering Moldova, North Macedonia and Romania. She arrived in Skopje on 20 July and was received at the international airport by North Macedonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Timcho Mucunski.

Leaders discuss stronger economic and strategic partnership

On 21 July, President Murmu visited Villa Vodno, the official residence of North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, where she received a ceremonial welcome and a guard of honour before holding bilateral and delegation-level discussions.

The two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of India-North Macedonia relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments. They reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation based on democratic values, mutual respect and shared interests.

President Murmu described economic cooperation as one of the most important pillars of the bilateral relationship. She highlighted opportunities for closer collaboration in information technology, IT-enabled services, agriculture, food processing, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, textiles, tourism, hospitality and film production.

Cultural ties and global initiatives take centre stage

The President also underlined the importance of cultural exchanges and stronger people-to-people connections, describing them as one of the foundations of the relationship between the two countries. She noted that cooperation in the creative industries could become an important area for future collaboration and help bring the two societies closer together.

Discussions also focused on international cooperation in tackling global challenges. President Murmu highlighted India's leadership through initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the Global Biofuels Alliance. She welcomed North Macedonia's interest in joining these platforms, saying participation would provide access to global expertise, technical knowledge and best practices in renewable energy and disaster resilience.

India expands training opportunities

A key outcome of the visit was India's decision to double the number of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) training slots available to North Macedonia. The expanded programme will include specialised courses in artificial intelligence, reflecting the growing importance of digital skills and emerging technologies in bilateral cooperation.

President Murmu is accompanied on the visit by Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, along with Members of Parliament Dr. Dinesh Sharma and Vijay Baghel.

Both sides expressed confidence that the historic visit would give fresh momentum to India-North Macedonia relations and pave the way for stronger cooperation across multiple sectors in the years ahead.