Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a two-day trip to Austria. He arrived in Vienna from Moscow on July 9. Additionally, he was greeted by Chancellor Nehammer for a private meeting. This visit to Austria celebrates 75 years of establishing bilateral diplomatic relations between the two countries. Modi landed in Vienna with the agenda of strengthening India-Austria bilateral relations. Furthermore, it consisted of strengthening trade and investment as well as defense ties between India and Austria.

The discussion between the two nations which occurred in May 2023 focused on enhancing bilateral ties in trade and investments, defense, consular and migration among other things. This trip holds immense significance since he was the first Indian prime minister to visit Austria in 41 years. Indira Gandhi in 1983 was the last prime minister to do so. Prior to his trip to Austria, Prime Minister Modi declared on Sunday that the foundation for the two nations’ collaboration will be their shared principles of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.

The visit spanned for two days, consisting of meeting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen who is fondly called “VDB”. Additionally, meetings with Chancellor of Austria Karl Nehammer also took place. Alexander Schallenberg, the foreign minister of Austria, received PM Modi at the airport.

As he arrived in Vienna, Austrian artists welcomed him by performing Vande Mataram. This gesture warmed the heart of Modi as he took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share his appreciation for them. PM Modi joyfully stated, “Austria is known for its vibrant musical culture. I got a glimpse of it thanks to this amazing rendition of Vande Mataram!”.

Modi went on to state the various agendas on his list for future collaborations between the two countries. The prime minister emphasized the possibility of bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, energy, emerging technologies, and other areas while extending an invitation to Austrian businesses to invest in India. Furthermore, PM Modi engaged with the Vienna-based Indian community and diaspora.

Moreover, PM Modi stated that there would be significant outcomes from the startup bridge between Austria and India. In addition to highlighting the achievements of India’s digital public infrastructure and efforts to improve connectivity and logistics, he proposed that the two countries collaborate on a hackathon.

PM Modi and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer addressed the gathering of prominent CEOs from India and Austria. With India’s economy projected to grow to become the third largest in the world soon, the prime minister urged Austrian business leaders to take advantage of the growing opportunities in the country.

In a joint statement with Austria, PM Modi reaffirmed that this is not the time for war. “Chancellor Nehammer and I have deliberated in detail all the ongoing disputes in the world, whether it is the conflict in Ukraine or the situation in West Asia. I have said earlier also that this is not the time for war’, PM Modi remarked. ‘We both strongly condemn terrorism. We agree that it is not acceptable in any form. It cannot be justified in any way”, PM Modi further added.

The Federal Chancellery in Vienna, Austria hosted a ceremonial reception for Prime Minister Modi. He was accompanied by Karl Nehammer, the Chancellor of Austria. Additionally, at the Federal Chancellery, PM Modi also signed the guestbook.

Lastly, the conclusion of the visit also extended to the development of the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy will be able to use Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) manufactured in Austria for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). These benefits that India can prevail is the courtesy of PM Modi’s partnership with Austria. This is a significant turning point in the two countries’ technological cooperation.