President Murmu unveils Gandhi bust in Skopje, wraps up first-ever Indian presidential visit to North Macedonia

New Delhi: The president, Droupadi Murmu, concluded a two-day state visit to North Macedonia on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian head of state to travel to the Balkan nation, a visit that culminated in the unveiling of a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at a museum in Skopje. Murmu arrived in Skopje on Tuesday on the second leg of a three-nation tour that began in Moldova and will end in Romania.

She was received at the airport by North Macedonia’s foreign minister, Timcho Mucunski, before being accorded a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at Villa Vodno, the presidential residence, the following day.

At Villa Vodno, Murmu held bilateral talks with the president of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova. The two leaders discussed cooperation across the economy, education, science, culture, tourism, healthcare and digital transformation, and exchanged views on regional and global issues, according to statements from both presidencies. Siljanovska-Davkova described the visit as a step towards deepening engagement with India, while Murmu reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to expanding ties with the wider Eastern European region.

Murmu also addressed the Assembly of North Macedonia, telling lawmakers that the country was an important pillar in the architecture of a stable and prosperous global future and conveying, in her words, the goodwill of India’s 1.4 billion people. Calling for greater parliamentary engagement and cooperation on public policy, she said that in a divided world, nations needed to build bridges, not walls. She also invoked the shared civilizational legacy linking the two countries – Gandhi on the Indian side, and Skopje-born Mother Teresa on the Macedonian.

The prime minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, hosted a luncheon for Murmu that was attended by cabinet ministers and members of parliament.

Economic cooperation featured prominently through the visit. Murmu addressed the India-North Macedonia Business Forum, where officials from both sides pointed to agriculture, pharmaceuticals, science and technology, and information technology and IT-enabled services as priority areas for closer partnership. Sibi George, secretary (west) in India’s ministry of external affairs, said the three-nation tour was built around what he called the “3Ts” – trade, technology and tourism.

Bilateral trade between the two countries had stood at a modest $37 million in 2019-20, according to figures previously cited by the ministry, underscoring how much room officials believe exists for growth. Diplomatic relations between the two countries date to 1995, and North Macedonia’s embassy in New Delhi has been operational since 2008.

On the final day of her visit, Murmu unveiled a bust of Gandhi at the Skopje Museum, alongside Siljanovska-Davkova. She said the memorial would stand as a lasting symbol of friendship between the two countries and of their shared commitment to peace, tolerance and humanity. Gandhi, she said, belonged to India, but his message belonged to all humanity; his life had shown that truth and non-violence were not signs of weakness but powerful instruments for securing justice, dignity and freedom.

At a time when the world faced conflict, intolerance and division, she added, Gandhi’s faith in dialogue, compassion and peaceful coexistence remained profoundly relevant. She expressed hope that young visitors to the museum would pause before the bust and draw inspiration to reject hatred and resolve differences peacefully.

Murmu also visited the Memorial of Mother Teresa in Skopje, built in 2009 on the site of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, where the future Nobel laureate was baptized the day after her birth in the city on August 26, 1910. She lived in Skopje until 1928, when she left to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland, before eventually settling in India, where she was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1980.

Murmu’s engagements in North Macedonia followed talks in Moldova with the president, Maia Sandu, and precede the final leg of her tour, when she travels to Romania from Friday to 25 at the invitation of the president, Nicusor Dan – the first visit by an Indian president to Romania in more than three decades.