State Visit Diplomacy: President Droupadi Murmu arrived in North Macedonia on the second leg of her three-nation tour after concluding a historic first-ever Indian state visit to Moldova, holding talks with President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, and scheduled meetings with the Assembly leadership plus an India–North Macedonia Business Forum focused on agriculture, pharmaceuticals, science/tech and IT-enabled services. Public Health Crisis: Gostivar’s waterborne illness outbreak is now tied to faecal contamination, with prosecutors saying lab tests found coliform bacteria nearly 50 times above limits; the head of the local water utility and two employees were arrested over alleged illegal pump connections that prosecutors say introduced harmful substances into the drinking-water pipeline for weeks. Regional Trade Outreach: Türkiye reported intensive trade diplomacy in the first half of 2026, with dozens of high-level meetings across 57 countries including North Macedonia, using trade agreements and economic committees to expand exports and investment ties. EU Rule-of-Law Push: The European Commission outlined plans to broaden its rule-of-law agenda with a new anti-corruption strategy and tighter scrutiny ahead of the next long-term EU budget.