The president of the world's most populous country is in Skopje. Droupadi Murmu, the first woman of Indigenous Indian descent to lead India, arrived on a two-day official visit to Macedonia - a guest with full state and military honours, a packed agenda, and symbolism worth noting.

Murmu was welcomed by President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, with a tete-a-tete meeting, a plenary session of the two delegations, and a joint press conference. The agenda also includes an address to Parliament, a meeting with Assembly Speaker Afrim Gashi, and the laying of flowers at Goce Delchev's grave in the "St. Spas" church in Skopje. In the afternoon, a Macedonian-Indian business forum is being held, presenting the country's investment opportunities.

The second day carries more symbolism: a visit to the Mother Teresa Memorial House and the Museum of the City of Skopje, where a bust of Mahatma Gandhi is unveiled. The two presidents then travel to Ohrid, to the Sveti Naum monastery complex and the old town core.

State visits of this rank rarely carry concrete deals that are felt immediately - but they are not empty ceremony either. India is an economic power on the rise, and any door opened toward such a market is an opportunity for a small country like ours, if it is used. The question, as always, is not whether there will be photographs and busts - there certainly will be. The question is whether the business forum will produce anything more than good wishes. Until then, Skopje will be on the diplomatic map for at least two days - and that, for a start, is not nothing.