Chisinau (Moldova)

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday arrived on a historic visit to Moldova, first by any Indian head of state, as part of her three-nation tour of European countries aimed at boosting ties in trade, technology and tourism sectors among others.

“On her arrival at Chisinau International Airport, she was warmly received by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Mihai Popsoi,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post on X.

As part of the first leg of her visit, President Murmu will hold delegation-level talks with her Moldovan counterpart, President Maia Sandu. She will also meet the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu.

President Droupadi Murmu reached Chisinau, Moldova on the first leg of her State Visits to Moldova, North Macedonia and Romania. On her arrival at Chisinau International Airport, she was warmly received by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic… pic.twitter.com/vnDFbxhjoW

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 20, 2026

The President is scheduled to hold discussions with members of the Moldova-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, address a Business Forum and interact with the members of the Indian Community.

Moldova is a small (33,846 sq km) landlocked country in Eastern Europe, strategically located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south.

Around 2,000 Indian nationals, including approximately 1,800 medical students, reside in Moldova, making India one of the largest foreign student communities in this Eastern European nation.

After concluding her day-long trip here, Murmu will visit North Macedonia from July 21-22. This will also be the first ever visit by an Indian President to this landlocked country in Southeast Europe.

In the final stretch of her three-nation tour, she will visit Romania from July 23-25 at the invitation of her Romanian counterpart Nicușor Dan. This would be the first visit by an Indian President, after a gap of over three decades, to the Southeastern European country.

The state visit to these three nations by the President reflects the importance India attaches to strengthening its bilateral ties with these countries along with New Delhi’s engagement with the wider Eastern European region.

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Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, Rajya Sabha member Dinesh Sharma and Lok Sabha member Vijay Baghel are part of the official delegation accompanying the President.