PTI
Chisinau (Moldova)
Noting the increase in the number of Indians travelling to Moldova, a top diplomat on Monday said the Moldovan authorities had proposed exploring the possibility of direct connectivity with India.
Addressing a press conference during President Droupadi Murmu’s historic state visit to the eastern European country, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Sibi George, said most of the capitals are looking for some form of connectivity with India.
“There was a proposal from the side of Moldova to explore the possibility of direct connectivity,” he said in response to a question asked by PTI. George said people-to-people connectivity is very important, and the number of Indians travelling to this part of the world has increased significantly.
Moldova has around 2,000 Indian students pursuing medical studies, and, therefore, there is a demand from both the general public and the government for some kind of direct connectivity, he said. “I don’t know when it will happen, but it is definitely part of the wish list which we have,” George said.
He also said there is a determination on the part of both countries to double the bilateral trade.
“The trade figures at present are very small. There are multiple factors for that. One of the objectives and one of the deliverables is a determination by both countries to double the trade in the next few years,” George said.
According to official data, the bilateral trade between India and Moldova was USD 16.75 million in 2023-24.
Moldova is a small (33,846 sq km) landlocked country in Eastern Europe, strategically located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south.
