President Murmu Begins State Visit to Romania, Focuses on Boosting Trade and Tourism

BUCHAREST (Romania), July 23: President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Bucharest on Thursday, marking the final stop of her three-nation European tour aimed at enhancing India’s engagement with Eastern Europe. The visit is expected to strengthen cooperation with Romania in trade, tourism, investment, technology and parliamentary relations while reaffirming the growing strategic partnership between the two countries.

The visit carries special diplomatic significance as it is the first by an Indian President to Romania in more than three decades, reflecting New Delhi’s renewed emphasis on expanding ties with key partners across the region.

President Murmu was welcomed at the airport by Romania’s Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Toiu. The President’s Office announced her arrival through a post on X, describing the visit as the concluding leg of her official state tour of Europe.

During her stay in Romania, President Murmu will hold high-level talks with Romanian President Nicusor Dan to review bilateral relations and explore opportunities for deeper collaboration in areas of mutual interest. She is also scheduled to meet interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, Senate President Mircea Abrudean and Chamber of Deputies President Sorin Grindeanu.

Apart from official meetings, the President will engage with members of the Romania-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, address the India-Romania Business Forum and interact with the Indian diaspora living in the country. These engagements are expected to strengthen institutional cooperation and encourage greater economic and commercial partnerships.

Trade and investment are expected to remain at the centre of the discussions. India and Romania have witnessed steady growth in bilateral commerce over recent years, and both governments are keen to expand cooperation in manufacturing, information technology, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure and tourism. Business leaders from both countries are also expected to explore fresh investment opportunities during the business forum.

Tourism promotion forms another important pillar of the visit. Both sides are looking at ways to improve travel connectivity, cultural exchanges and collaboration in the hospitality sector to encourage greater movement of tourists and professionals between the two countries.

Romania occupies a strategically important location in South-Eastern Europe along the western coast of the Black Sea. Sharing borders with Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria, the country serves as an important gateway to European markets and offers significant opportunities for trade and logistics cooperation.

The Indian community in Romania has also grown steadily in recent years. Around 13,500 Indians currently reside in the country, including nearly 10,000 skilled and semi-skilled workers employed across various sectors. Their contribution has further strengthened people to people ties between the two nations.

Romania marks the final destination of President Murmu’s three-country European tour, following successful visits to Moldova and North Macedonia. These visits were historic in their own right, as they represented the first-ever visits by an Indian President to both countries.

Throughout the tour, India has emphasised its commitment to strengthening partnerships with Eastern European nations through enhanced political dialogue, economic cooperation and cultural engagement.

In North Macedonia, President Murmu and the country’s leadership discussed expanding cooperation in trade, tourism and digital innovation while reaffirming support for multilateral reforms. The two countries identified healthcare, pharmaceuticals, automotive manufacturing, agriculture, digital technologies and artificial intelligence as priority sectors for future collaboration.

India and North Macedonia also renewed a Memorandum of Understanding on health cooperation for another five years. The renewed agreement is expected to facilitate joint research, technology development, capacity building and improved healthcare collaboration.

Officials from both countries also discussed improving connectivity to encourage greater business exchanges and tourism. Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sibi George noted that establishing direct connectivity remains an important objective for both sides and will be pursued further.

North Macedonia also reiterated its support for India’s long-standing bid for permanent membership in a reformed United Nations Security Council, underlining the close coordination between the two countries in multilateral forums.

President Murmu’s European tour is widely viewed as part of India’s broader diplomatic outreach to deepen strategic partnerships beyond traditional regions. By strengthening political engagement, promoting economic cooperation and encouraging greater people to people contact, the visit is expected to open new avenues for collaboration with Romania and the wider Eastern European region while reinforcing India’s expanding global presence.