Skopje: Terming economic cooperation as an “important pillar” in ties between India and North Macedonia, President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday announced that both nations have agreed to strengthen trade, investment and business-to-business collaboration.
Addressing a joint press meet with North Macedonia counterpart Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova following their talks, President Murmu expressed confidence that her visit will open a new chapter in the bilateral ties. She expressed gratitude to President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and the people of North Macedonia for their warm welcome and hospitality.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, this is the first visit by the President of India to North Macedonia. I am confident that this historic visit will mark the beginning of a new chapter in our bilateral relations. In the morning today, I held meaningful discussions with North Macedonia President. Following this, we held delegation-level talks. We discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral ties and exchanged views on views on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” said President Murmu.
She mentioned that cooperation in various sectors, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles and tourism, was discussed in detail during her talks with President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
“We reaffirmed our close friendship based on shared democratic values and mutual respect. Economic cooperation is an important pillar of India-North Macedonia ties. We agreed to strengthen trade, investment and business-to-business collaboration. We agreed to double our bilateral trade. We discussed cooperation in IT, agriculture, food processing, pharmaceuticals, textiles and tourism, hospitality and film making and other prominent areas. The business forum set to be held today will provide an important platform for these issues.”
President Murmu also hailed the cultural and people-to-people ties between India and North Macedonia, stating that cooperation in the creative industries sector is an important part of cultural exchange.
“India has introduced several international initiatives to increase sustainable development, which include International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and Global Biofuel Alliance. I welcome North Macedonia’s willingness to join these initiatives,” said President Murmu.
(IANS)
