President Murmu Invites North Macedonia to Join WAVES as Cinema Features in Bilateral Talks

Skopje, July 22: Indian cinema emerged as an important topic during President Droupadi Murmu‘s state visit to North Macedonia, with both sides discussing the role of films in strengthening cultural exchanges and promoting tourism, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Speaking at a special press briefing, MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George said Tamil cinema was specifically mentioned during the discussions as an example of how films can encourage tourism and deepen people-to-people connections between countries.

President Murmu also invited North Macedonia to participate in the upcoming World Audio-Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), an international platform aimed at promoting collaboration in the media and entertainment sector. The invitation follows the successful inaugural edition of the summit held in Mumbai in 2025.

The MEA described the President’s visit as a landmark moment in bilateral relations, noting that it is the first-ever visit by an Indian President to North Macedonia since diplomatic ties were established in 1995.

Officials said the visit reaffirmed India’s commitment to expanding cooperation with North Macedonia while strengthening its broader engagement with European nations. Discussions also focused on enhancing collaboration in culture, tourism, media and other sectors of mutual interest.

The press briefing was attended by senior MEA officials, including Secretary (West) Sibi George, Press Secretary to the President Manisha Verma, Joint Secretary Rajesh Parihar, Ambassador Arun Kumar Sahu and Joint Secretary (Europe) Alpana Dubey.

The Ministry said both countries expressed their commitment to building a stronger and forward-looking partnership that would benefit their people while contributing to deeper India-Europe cooperation.