Indian President Droupadi Murmu said she is confident that her visit to the country will open a new chapter in bilateral relations and strengthen the partnership between North Macedonia and India, elevating it to a higher level. She said the visit reaffirmed the friendly ties, shared values, and mutual respect between the two countries.
“We had a very productive meeting with your President and talks at the delegation level. We discussed several bilateral cooperations and exchanged views on regional and global issues of common interest. We reiterated and confirmed the friendly relations between Macedonia and India, shared values and mutual respect. Cooperation is a very important pillar of our bilateral relations,” said Murmu at a joint press conference with Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
She stressed that they want to promote better trade and investment and encourage better cooperation between businesses from both countries.
“We also agreed to expand bilateral trade to double the current volume. We discussed cooperation in key sectors, including (IT), agriculture, food processing, pharmaceuticals, tourism, hospitality and audiovisual arts. Today’s business forum will be an excellent platform to discuss these issues. We have a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in healthcare, we have agreed to strengthen cooperation in this area, especially in the promotion of traditional medicine,” the Indian president said.
Murmu noted that work will also be done to increase cooperation in the field of culture, because, as she said, cultural ties between people are always one of the strongest pillars in mutual relations. Cooperation in the field of creative industries, she added, is also an important aspect of cultural exchange.
According to Murmu, India wants to facilitate international cooperation through initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, the Infrastructure Disaster Alliance.
“I welcome Macedonia’s intention to join these initiatives, and participation in them will enable Macedonia to benefit from global alliances for disaster mitigation,” said the Indian head of state.
She also announced the possibility of training for Macedonia in the field of artificial intelligence, but also that together with President Siljanovska-Davkova they will unveil the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the Museum of the City of Skopje.
“This is a special gift from the people of India to the people of Macedonia that reveals the common principles and values of the two nations,” said President Murmu.
