Noting that the world is passing through a very serious and tense situation that has affected every nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India and Austria support a “stable, sustainable and lasting peace’’ in West Asia and Ukraine, underlining that military conflicts cannot resolve problems.
“We also share the view that the reform of global institutions is absolutely necessary to resolve increasing global challenges. We are also committed to stamping out terrorism,’’ he said at a joint media interaction with visiting Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.
The two leaders also underscored the importance of ensuring safe and unimpeded maritime passage in West Asia.
India and Austria signed as many as 15 documents, including pacts on cooperation in military matters, counter terrorism, cyber security, high technology and education.
Modi said he had held very productive discussions with Chancellor Stocker. “We in India are glad that he selected our nation as his first destination to visit outside Europe after he assumed office. This reflects his vision and commitment to India-Austria relations,’’ he added.
He said that equally special is the fact that this is the first visit by an Austrian Chancellor to India in four decades and comes in the wake of the historic India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which ushered in a new chapter in ties between the two sides.
The PM expressed confidence that the Austrian Chancellor’s visit will inject new energy into trade and investments. “We will combine Austria’s expertise with India’s speed and scale to ensure reliable technology supply chains for the entire world. We will also strengthen our partnership in defence, semiconductor, quantum and biotechnology,’’ he added.
Modi recalled that in 2023 the two countries signed a comprehensive migration and mobility agreement. Now, under this agreement, the two countries will advance mobility in the nursing sector too. He said the two nations will also strengthen joint research and start up collaboration. The two countries are also launching an India-Austria Working Holiday Program today, he added.
He praised Austria’s tunnelling expertise and said the country had been a trusted partner in infrastructure development, innovation, and sustainability. “Be it the Delhi Metro or the Atal Tunnel built at 10,000 feet in the Himalayas, Austria’s tunnelling expertise has a deep footprint in India. From railway projects to the Girnar ropeway in Gujarat, and from clean energy to urban development, several Austrian companies have been active in engineering projects in India,” he said.
In his remarks, the visiting leader noted that India has an impressive growth rate of about 7 per cent and Austrian companies will benefit from India’s dynamism.
Stocker said his visit marks a new chapter in the bilateral relationship. He was of the view that reliable partners connected by shared values are more important than ever in times of increasing geopolitical uncertainties.