Moldova and India intend to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, energy, education, healthcare, AI development, and cyber diplomacy
This was announced at a press conference on Monday by Moldovan and Indian Presidents Maia Sandu and Droupadi Murmu following their meeting in Chisinau, which took place during the first official visit by an Indian head of state since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries 34 years ago. Maia Sandu noted that dialogue between Moldova and India has intensified in recent years. In 2024, the parties resumed political consultations after a 21-year hiatus and officially opened the Moldovan embassy in New Delhi. This was followed by concrete steps: India opened its market to Moldovan apples, and Moldova joined the International Solar Alliance, a global initiative launched by India and France. Maia Sandu noted that the Moldovan-Indian business forum, taking place on July 20 in Chisinau, confirms the parties' intention to expand bilateral relations, which could yield concrete results for both countries. The focus is on cooperation in trade, including expanding Moldovan agricultural exports to the Indian market, investment, energy, education, and healthcare. Maia Sandu noted that India and the EU have signed a free trade agreement that brings their markets closer together. Furthermore, she noted that for Indian companies seeking to enter the European market, Moldova could become a gateway to the European market, which would mean investment and jobs for Moldova. As an example, Maia Sandu cited the Indian company (KEC International) that won an international tender and built the Vulcanesti-Chisinau power transmission line, a strategic facility for Moldova's energy security, which is in the final testing phase. Maia Sandu also touched upon the expansion of Moldovan-Indian cooperation in the field of education: currently, 1,400 Indian students are studying in Moldova, most of them in medical specialties, and a new bilateral agreement on higher education will soon be signed. In turn, the President of India noted the productiveness of the dialogue with Moldova, which resulted in an agreement to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of bilateral relations. “We agreed to continue interaction in the field of trade, strengthen supply chains for goods, and stimulate cooperation between the business communities of Moldova and India in such vital sectors as logistics, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, and innovation. Education has always been one of the strongest pillars of our relations. We agreed to expand academic exchanges, as well as institutional partnerships between our universities,” said Droupadi Murmu, noting that India is also ready to double the number of scholarships for the training of specialists from Moldova. She also said that the parties intend to develop cooperation in the field of new technologies, including artificial intelligence and cyber diplomacy. The Indian President also called on Moldova to join strategic international coalitions to create disaster-resilient infrastructure and biofuels. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Moldovan exports to India decreased from $1.9 million to $0.9 million in 2016-2020, but increased to $1.4 million in 2024, after which they decreased to $0.25 million in 2025. At the same time, imports from India increased from $22.4 million to $253.5 million in 2016-2022, but decreased to $80.2 million by 2025. // 20.07.2026 — InfoMarket
