Onlykashmir.in News Desk
India’s growing diplomatic outreach to Eastern Europe is set to gain fresh momentum as President Droupadi Murmu embarks on a three-nation State Visit to Moldova, North Macedonia and Romania from July 19 to 25, a tour that India’s Ambassador to Romania and Moldova, Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, described as a defining moment for New Delhi’s engagement with the region.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Dr. Mohapatra said the visit would deepen bilateral ties and open fresh avenues of cooperation across sectors ranging from trade to technology. He underlined India’s continued commitment to peace and dialogue on the global stage, stressing that diplomacy must always be given the fullest opportunity to succeed. Defence cooperation, he added, remains a key pillar of India’s expanding bilateral partnerships worldwide.
President Murmu will begin her tour in Moldova on July 20, at the invitation of President Maia Sandu, marking the first ever visit by an Indian President to the country. Officials describe the visit as a potential milestone that could elevate India-Moldova relations to a broader, more structured partnership. The two nations are seen as having considerable untapped potential for cooperation in agriculture, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, information technology and education, areas where Indian expertise and Moldovan market access could complement each other well.
The President will subsequently travel to Romania from July 23 to 25 at the invitation of Romanian President Nicusor Dan, in what will be the first visit by an Indian Head of State to Romania in more than three decades. As a member of the European Union, Romania holds particular strategic significance for India at a time when the recently concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement is expected to substantially strengthen bilateral economic ties across the continent in the years ahead. Indian officials view Romania as a potential gateway for deeper engagement with the EU bloc as a whole.
Analysts tracking India’s foreign policy trajectory note that the visit reflects a deliberate widening of New Delhi’s diplomatic horizons beyond its traditional partners, toward emerging economies in Central and Eastern Europe. With India seeking new markets, defence partnerships and technology corridors amid a shifting global order, this outreach to Chisinau, Skopje and Bucharest could mark the beginning of a more sustained Eastern European chapter in Indian diplomacy.
