Moldovan president’s speech at joint news conference with President of India Droupadi Murmu

Mrs. President Murmu,

Today is a special day for Moldova. For the first time since the establishment of our diplomatic relations 34 years ago, a head of state of India is visiting our country.

Mrs. President, welcome to Moldova! Your visit is an honor for us and a sign of respect for our country and for our citizens.

India is the world’s largest democracy – a country of over 1.4 billion people – and one of the world’s largest and most dynamic economies.

In recent years, the political dialogue between our countries has gained momentum. In 2024, after 21 years, we resumed bilateral political consultations and inaugurated the Embassy of Moldova in New Delhi. Concrete steps followed: India opened its market to Moldovan apples and Moldova joined the International Solar Alliance – a global initiative launched by India together with France.

Today, we reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and discussed new areas of cooperation. We want this relationship to bring concrete results for our people – in trade, investment, energy, education and healthcare.

First of all, we want to expand trade. We want more Moldovan agri-food products to reach the Indian market.

Today, we will jointly open the Moldova–India Business Forum, which aims to create direct links between businesspeople and companies from the two countries. The moment is favorable. Moldova is negotiating accession to the European Union and our objective is to be ready for accession by the end of this decade.

At the same time, India and the European Union have concluded a free trade agreement, which brings the two markets closer together for the benefit of two billion people. For Indian companies looking towards Europe, Moldova can become a gateway and for us this would mean investments and jobs.

The best example of this potential is the energy sector. An Indian company, the winner of an international tender, has built the Vulcanesti–Chisinau power line – a strategic project for our energy security, now at its final stages of testing and commissioning.

The relationship between our countries also means people-to-people links. Around 1,400 students from India are currently studying at our universities, most of them in medicine. Negotiations on a new cooperation agreement in the field of higher education have been concluded and it will be signed soon.

We also want to capitalize on India’s experience in producing affordable medicines and attract pharmaceutical investments to Moldova.

While we speak about development, war continues at our border. For over four years, Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine – an unjust war that kills innocent people and threatens the peace of the entire continent. Moldova firmly condemns this aggression. Like India, we believe in respecting the sovereignty of states and in international law. We call on all free countries that want their independence, sovereignty and borders to be respected, to support Ukraine.

Today, Mrs. President has gifted us a bust of Mahatma Gandhi – the father of India’s independence. His lesson is that true peace is not the silence imposed by the strong, but the good understanding between free nations.

Mrs. President, I thank you for this visit, for this gesture of friendship. In an increasingly unstable world, Moldova chooses cooperation and reliable partnerships – and this is exactly the kind of partnership we are building with India. We are two democracies – one very large and one smaller – but united by the same values: freedom, dignity and working for the good of the people.

In Moldova, you will always find a trusted friend.

Thank you.