India and North Macedonia have agreed to double their bilateral trade and expand cooperation across several important sectors, including tourism, hospitality and filmmaking. The decision came during President Droupadi Murmu's historic two-day visit to North Macedonia, the first visit by any Indian Head of State to the country. During the visit, President Murmu held talks with her North Macedonian counterpart, President Gordana Sijanovska-Davkova. The leaders also led delegation-level discussions that covered bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues.

President Murmu said economic cooperation remains one of the strongest pillars of ties between the two countries. She highlighted the shared commitment to strengthen trade, investment and business partnerships. "Economic cooperation is an extremely important pillar of our bilateral relationship and the two countries agreed to promote greater trade and investment and encourage closer cooperation between our businesses," Murmu said.

She also announced that both countries have decided to significantly increase their trade ties. "We also agreed to double our bilateral trade. We discussed cooperation in key sectors, including IT/ITES, agriculture, food processing, pharmaceuticals, textile and bio-tech, tourism, hospitality, and filmmaking," she said.

The discussions also focused on cultural relations and people-to-people exchanges. President Murmu said these areas have always played an important role in strengthening ties between India and North Macedonia. She noted that the creative industry can further deepen this relationship. According to her, collaboration in filmmaking and other creative fields will add a new dimension to cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The two Presidents also reviewed the overall bilateral partnership and exchanged views on several regional and international matters of mutual interest. President Murmu said both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining strong and friendly relations. "We discussed the full range of bilateral cooperation, and also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. We reaffirmed the deep and friendly ties between India and North Macedonia, grounded in shared democratic values and mutual respect," the President said in a statement.

Healthcare also featured prominently during the talks. Both countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in this sector, with special attention to promoting traditional systems of medicine. The leaders expressed their willingness to work together in healthcare initiatives and share knowledge in areas where both countries can benefit.

President Murmu also spoke about India's global initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable development and international cooperation. She said India continues to encourage countries to join platforms such as the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the Global Biofuels Alliance. She welcomed North Macedonia's interest in becoming part of these international initiatives and said such partnerships would help strengthen cooperation on global challenges.

The President announced another important step to support skill development and capacity building in North Macedonia. India will double the number of training slots offered to North Macedonia under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme. The expanded programme will also include courses in Artificial Intelligence, giving participants access to training in emerging technologies and advanced skills.

President Murmu expressed confidence that the visit would strengthen the relationship between the two countries and open new opportunities for future cooperation. She said the growing partnership reflects the shared commitment of both nations to work together across multiple sectors. She added that the outcomes of the visit would help take the India-North Macedonia partnership to greater heights in the coming years.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Sijanovska-Davkova welcomed President Murmu with a ceremonial reception and a guard of honour in Skopje. The official welcome marked the beginning of the Indian President's engagements in North Macedonia.

President Murmu arrived in Skopje on Monday night after completing her historic visit to Moldova. That visit was also the first by any Indian President to the country, making the current tour another significant milestone in India's diplomatic outreach in Europe.

On her arrival in North Macedonia, President Murmu received a warm welcome from Timcho Mucunski, the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. Her visit reflects India's continued efforts to deepen relations with European partners through stronger economic ties, cultural exchanges and cooperation in new and emerging sectors. The decisions taken during the visit are expected to further strengthen the long-standing friendship between India and North Macedonia while creating fresh opportunities for collaboration in trade, technology, healthcare, tourism and the creative industry.