Murmu, Dan target doubling India-Romania trade in three years

Bucharest,UPDATED: Jul 23, 2026 23:20 IST

President Droupadi Murmu and her Romanian counterpart Nicusor Dan on Thursday agreed to work towards doubling bilateral trade over the next three years and to deepen cooperation in defence and several other areas of the India-Romania partnership.

The agreement came during Murmu's state visit to Romania, where the two leaders held what she described as productive and forward-looking talks covering all major aspects of bilateral ties. The visit is the last leg of her three-nation European tour and the first by an Indian head of state to Romania in more than three decades.

In a press statement, Murmu said, "We reviewed the progress made in recent years and agreed to further deepen cooperation across areas of priority for our two countries." She said economic cooperation remained an important pillar of the partnership, and both sides agreed to promote trade and investment, strengthen resilient supply chains and encourage closer business ties. "We also agreed to work towards doubling our bilateral trade over the next three years," she said.

Murmu said defence cooperation was another important pillar of the relationship. "We agreed to strengthen collaboration through regular exchanges, training, capacity building, and closer engagement between the defence industries of our two countries," she said.

She said education, culture and people-to-people contacts remained the foundation of India-Romania relations, and referred to the signing of three agreements in these areas. "We will expand joint research and development under the Programme of Cooperation in Science and Technology," she said. Murmu also said an Indian Studies Chair was being established at the University of Bucharest with the support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. "This initiative will further strengthen mutual understanding of the cultures and societies of our two countries. Through the Memorandum of Understanding signed today, we will also enhance our cooperation in the field of sports," she said.

Calling Romania an important partner for India within the European Union, Murmu said the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement in January this year would open unprecedented opportunities for industries and skilled professionals. She said the two countries had also agreed to expand cooperation in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, renewable energy, green hydrogen, agricultural products and fertilisers, science and technology, digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence by using the complementary strengths of their economies.

Murmu said the Government of India had decided to double the number of training opportunities for Romania under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme. "These will include courses in Artificial Intelligence. Our Foreign Service Institute has also offered training opportunities to Romanian diplomats to participate in its forthcoming Professional Course for Foreign Diplomats, which will include specialised modules on Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Diplomacy," she said.

She said India and Romania continued to cooperate under the Solar Alliance, of which Romania is a member, and welcomed Romania's intention to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the Global Biofuels Alliance. As the two countries prepare to mark 80 years of diplomatic relations in 2028, "we have agreed to commemorate the occasion as the 'India-Romania Year of Innovation'," Murmu said.

The two presidents also exchanged views on regional and global developments. "We reaffirmed our shared commitment to peace, dialogue and respect for international law in addressing common global challenges," she said.

Murmu arrived in Romania on Thursday and was received at the airport by Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia oiu, according to a social media post by her office. She later received a ceremonial guard of honour at the Cotroceni Palace, where Dan welcomed her. The Ministry of External Affairs said the visit marked an important milestone in strengthening the longstanding and multifaceted partnership between India and Romania.

The talks in Romania covered trade, defence, education, technology, energy and global issues, with both sides setting targets for closer engagement and wider institutional cooperation in the years ahead.

With PTI Inputs

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