PM Narendra Modi arrives in Vienna, Austria

By R Anil Kumar

• This is the first time an Indian Prime Minister has visited Austria in 41 years. In 1983, Indira Gandhi was the last PM to visit the country

• The shared values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law form the bedrock upon which the two countries will build an ever-closer partnership-PM Modi

• The bilateral trade between India and Austria stood at $2.93 billion in 2023

Vienna, Austria, July 10. Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg extended a warm welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the 75-year anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“A warm welcome to Indian PM @narendramodi on his historic visit to Austria, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations. The partnership between our nations is based on a joint commitment to global security, stability and prosperity,” Alexander Schallenberg said in a post on X after PM Modi’s arrival on Wednesday, July 10 (local time).

Welcome to Vienna, PM @narendramodi ! It is a pleasure and honour to welcome you to Austria. Austria and India are friends and partners. I look forward to our political and economic discussions during your visit!

Following this, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also welcomed PM Modi, calling India a friend and partner adding that he also stated that he looked forward to discussing politics and economics during the visit.

“Welcome to Vienna, PM @narendramodi ! It is a pleasure and honour to welcome you to Austria. Austria and India are friends and partners. I look forward to our political and economic discussions during your visit!,” Karl Nehammer wrote in a post on X while sharing a selfie with PM Modi.

Thank you, Chancellor @karlnehammer, for the warm welcome. I look forward to our discussions tomorrow as well. Our nations will continue working together to further global good.

In response to Nehammer’s warm welcome, PM Modi thanked him and stated India and Austria will continue to work together.

In a post on X, PM Modi said while sharing some really good pictures of him and Nehammer, “Thank you, Chancellor @karlnehammer, for the warm welcome. I look forward to our discussions tomorrow as well. Our nations will continue working together to further global good.”

Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also shared a post on X and stated the official meeting an important milestone in the partnership between both nations.

“An important milestone in – partnership! PM @narendramodi hosted by Austrian Chancellor @karlnehammer for a private engagement. This is the first meeting between the two leaders. Discussions on realising the full potential of bilateral partnership lie ahead,” Randhir Jaiswal said on X.

After PM Modi landed in Austria, he was welcomed by Indian Ambassador to Austria Shambhu Kumaran and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

Notably, this is the first time an Indian Prime Minister has visited Austria in 41 years.

How significant is PM Modi’s visit to Austria and What can be expected from this visit:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s one-day trip to Austria is the first by an Indian Prime Minister in over four decades. Modi will meet Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen and will hold delegation-level talks with Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

The trip is expected to help the two nations broaden the scope of their partnership and address issues of regional and global importance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit also comes in the backdrop of New Delhi and Vienna celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Austria  the first by an Indian Prime Minister in over four decades.

Modi’s visit also comes in the backdrop of New Delhi and Vienna celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations.

Ahead of his visit to Austria, Prime Minister Modi said the shared values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law form the bedrock upon which the two countries will build an ever-closer partnership.

Modi’s remark came a day after Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer posted on ‘X’, “I very much look forward to welcoming Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, the world’s largest democracy, next week in Vienna.”

“This visit is a special honour as it marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in over 40 years and a significant milestone as we celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with India,” he said.

“We will have the opportunity to talk about further deepening our bilateral relationship and closer cooperation on the many geopolitical challenges,” the Austrian chancellor said.

Responding to Nehammer, Modi said, “Thank you, Chancellor Karl Nehammer. It is indeed an honour to visit Austria to mark this historic occasion. I look forward to our discussions on strengthening the bonds between our nations and exploring new avenues of cooperation.”

A closer look:

What we know about the trip

Modi is visiting Austria at the invitation of Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

This is the prime minister’s first visit to Austria.

Modi in October 2021 met the then Australian chancellor Alexander Schallenberg – now the foreign minister – on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow.

Modi in 2017 held a bilateral meeting with then Austrian chancellor Christian Kern in St Petersburg on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Prime Minister Modi is set to meet Austria’s president Alexander Van der Bellen.

He will also hold delegation-level talks with Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

“In terms of programming elements, the Prime Minister, besides the ceremonial welcome being accorded to him, would also call on the President of Austria and hold restricted delegation-level talks as well as high-level business engagement in Austria,” said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.

Modi will meet business leaders from India and Austria.

He will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Vienna.

What can be expected from the trip?

India and Austria are expected to further strengthen ties.

Kwatra said that this trip would help us broaden the scope of our partnership, along with helping to address issues of regional and global importance of mutual interest.

“The visit, we are confident, will allow us to discuss various areas of importance in bilateral engagement as well as issues of regional and global importance of mutual interest and help broaden the scope of our partnership,” said foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra.

Kwatra said that Austria is a key country in Central Europe, adding that Austria provides great opportunities for cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, renewable energy, high technology, start-ups, and media and entertainment.

“Austria is an important Central European country, the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE),” Kwatra said at a press conference.

“Austria offers excellent opportunities for bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, renewable energy, high technology areas, start-up sectors, media, and entertainment and has registered good growth over the last couple of years,” he added.

The trip also comes months after the India-Austria Startup Bridge was launched in February.

The bridge aimed to increase collaboration and knowledge sharing between startups in both the countries.

“In February 2024, a new initiative called the “starter bridge” was launched between the two countries and it is already showing positive results. Additionally, India and Austria signed a comprehensive agreement on migration and mobility,” Foreign Secretary said.

“Our investment linkages also continue to grow, even though, in volume terms, they may be small. Several Austrian companies have a presence in India.

In February 2024, in India-Austria, a starter bridge was also launched, which has already had a very promising start. India and Austria had also signed a comprehensive migration and mobility agreement,” said Kwatra.

Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Pavan Kapoor said, “We have had a “good and steadfast” relationship with Austria. Our focus will be innovation and technology”.India-Austria relations

India-Austria Relations

India and Austria established diplomatic relations in 1949.

Trade and cultural ties

Bilateral trade between the two nations has been gradually increasing.

The bilateral trade between India and Austria stood at $2.93 billion in 2023.

India exports electronics, textiles, apparel, footwear and chemicals to Austria.

Vienna, meanwhile, sends machinery, automotive parts, and chemicals to India.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Austria offers “excellent opportunities” for bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, renewable energy, high technology areas, start-up sectors, media and entertainment.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had visited Austria from December 31, 2022, to January 3, 2023.

During the visit, he had met with Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Karl Nehammer and President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka.

He held delegation-level talks with the Austrian Foreign Minister, Alexander Schallenberg.

Five agreements were also signed during the visit, according to the bilateral relations profile dated June 2023.

During Austrian Foreign Minister Schallenberg’s visit to India in 2022, both ministers had discussed the “entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, commercial and consular ties.”

India and Austria have had cultural exchanges dating back as far as the 16th Century.

“The visit of India’s philosopher-poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore twice to Vienna – in 1921 and 1926 – was one of the crucial bridges of cultural and intellectual exchange between India and Austria,” the MEA website said.

Austria is known for its rich cultural and architectural heritage with Vienna renowned for its legacy of orchestral music and legendary composers.

According to the MEA, around 31,000 Indians are living in Austria – a majority of them from Kerala and Punjab.

The Indian diaspora mainly consists of professionals working primarily in the health care sector and in the multilateral UN bodies, businessmen and self-employed individuals.

They are roughly evenly divided between NRIs and PIOs.

Over 500 Indian students are pursuing their higher education in Austria, the MEA added.

The Indian diaspora has expressed happiness at the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Austria and said that it’s a matter of pride that an Indian Prime Minister is visiting the country after 40 years.