President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Moldova on Monday for a landmark visit, the first by any Indian head of state. The trip forms part of a three-nation European tour focused on expanding cooperation in trade, technology and tourism.
She received a formal welcome at Chisinau International Airport from Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi, according to a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
During the initial segment of her stay, the President will conduct delegation-level discussions with Moldovan President Maia Sandu and meet Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu. She is also set to engage with the Moldova-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, address a business forum and meet members of the Indian community.
Moldova covers 33,846 square kilometres and lies landlocked in Eastern Europe between Romania and Ukraine. Roughly 2,000 Indian nationals, most of them medical students, live there, forming one of the largest foreign student groups in the country.
After her one-day programme, Ms Murmu will travel to North Macedonia on July 21-22, another first for an Indian president. The tour concludes in Romania from July 23-25, marking the first such visit in more than thirty years.
The State visits underscore India’s interest in deepening ties with these nations and the broader Eastern European region. The official delegation includes Union Minister Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, Rajya Sabha member Dinesh Sharma and Lok Sabha member Vijay Baghel.
