Embassy of India, Bucharest

to Romania and Moldova

Embassy of India
Bucharest

Press Release

Subject: Embassy Hosts Interaction with Romanian Business Leaders; Highlights Opportunities for Stronger India–Romania Partnership

The Embassy of India, Bucharest, hosted an interaction with a group comprising Romanian businessmen and public representatives with a keen interest in India, on 25 August 2026 at the Embassy premises. The interaction focused on the growing India–Romania partnership and opportunities for further strengthening bilateral cooperation in the context of a rapidly changing global order.

The programme featured a presentation on “India–Romania: Strengthening Partnership in a Changing Global Order”, which highlighted the long-standing historical, intellectual and cultural links between the two countries, as well as emerging opportunities in trade, investment, technology, education, innovation, energy and healthcare. The presentation recalled the rich history of India-Romania relations, including the early scholarly connections of Alexander Csoma de Kőrös, Rabindranath Tagore’s visit to Romania in 1926, and the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1948. It also highlighted the contribution of intellectual bridges such as Mircea Eliade and Amita Bhose in fostering greater understanding between the two societies.

In his remarks, Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, Ambassador of India to Romania, emphasised that India–Romania relations have evolved from their strong historical and cultural foundations into a broad-based partnership encompassing political, economic, technological, educational and people-to-people cooperation. Ambassador highlighted the opportunities arising from the emerging multipolar global economy and India's rapid economic growth. He noted that India's expanding market, skilled human resources, manufacturing capabilities and innovation ecosystem, combined with Romania's strategic location within the EU, industrial strengths, skilled workforce and technological capabilities, offer significant complementarities between the two countries.

Ambassador Mohapatra particularly underlined the potential of the India–EU Free Trade Agreement to provide fresh momentum to India–Romania economic engagement. He noted that the agreement goes beyond tariffs and covers trade in services, digital trade, intellectual property, SMEs, regulatory cooperation, sustainability and professional mobility. This creates opportunities for greater integration of Indian and Romanian companies into European and global value chains. Ambassador Mohapatra encouraged Romanian companies to view India not only as a large and growing consumer market, but also as a destination for investment, manufacturing, innovation and joint participation in global value chains. He highlighted India's initiatives such as Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, which provide opportunities for international companies to establish manufacturing and technology partnerships in India.

Ambassador identified automotive and components, IT and artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, renewable energy and green hydrogen, digital technologies, defence technology, logistics and infrastructure as areas offering considerable scope for deeper bilateral cooperation. He stressed the need to move beyond traditional buyer–seller relationships towards joint ventures, co-development, research and development and technology partnerships. The Ambassador also highlighted the growing potential for cooperation in digital technologies and emerging areas such as AI, semiconductors, cybersecurity, 6G and quantum technologies, noting that future cooperation should focus increasingly on joint innovation and co-creation.

On green growth, he highlighted India's ambitious renewable energy expansion and Green Hydrogen Mission, noting the scope for India–Romania cooperation in clean energy, sustainable technologies and the wider energy transition. Ambassador Mohapatra further emphasised that the 2026 visit of the Hon’ble President of India to Romania and the shared objective of expanding bilateral trade have created strong momentum for the relationship. He called for closer engagement among businesses, universities, investors, research institutions and government agencies to translate the existing political goodwill into concrete partnerships.

Mr. Mihai Andritoiu, Coordinator of the Group, also addressed the gathering and underscored the importance of continued engagement with India. This was followed by an interactive Q&A session, during which participants exchanged views on India's economic transformation, bilateral trade and investment, technology, education and the broader strategic dimensions of India–Romania relations.

Embassy reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with such groups who have keen interest in India and other Romanian stakeholders to further deepen the multifaceted and forward-looking India–Romania partnership.

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Bucharest

Wednesday, 26 August 2026