President Droupadi Murmu arrived in North Macedonia on a two-day state visit as part of her three-nation tour of European countries aimed at boosting ties. She is the first Indian President to visit North Macedonia.

During the second leg of her tour, Murmu will hold bilateral talks with North Macedonia President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova. The visit, followed by her trip to Romania from July 23 to 25, reflects the importance India attaches to strengthening bilateral ties with the three countries and its engagement with the wider Eastern European region.

Murmu is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Speaker of the Assembly Afrim Gashi, and address the Parliament. She will also address the India-North Macedonia Business Forum. Both sides have shown keen interest in deepening economic ties in priority sectors such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, science and technology, information technology, and IT-enabled services.

During the visit, Murmu will also go to the Memorial of Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, the present-day capital of North Macedonia, on August 26, 1910. She lived there until 1928, when she left to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland before eventually moving to India. Built in 2009 on Macedonia Street in the heart of Skopje, the museum stands on the site of the former Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, where she was baptised a day after her birth. Mother Teresa was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 1980.

North Macedonia is a landlocked country in southeastern Europe with an area of 25,713 square kilometres. It shares borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the north. The Indian community in the country is very small, with most members working in the IT sector, teaching at universities or serving as executives in multinational companies.

In the final leg of her tour, Murmu will visit Romania at the invitation of President Nicusor Dan. It will be the first visit by an Indian President to Romania in more than three decades. Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sibi George has said, “One of the most important focus of the visit is on 3Ts - trade, technology and tourism.”

With PTI Inputs

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Published By:

India Today Web Desk

Published On:

Jul 21, 2026 03:14 IST