Chancellor Nehammer emphasised the importance of this visit, noting that it provides an opportunity to deepen bilateral relations and enhance cooperation on various geopolitical challenges…reports Asian Lite News
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vienna is a “special honour” as it marks the first visit by Indian Prime Minister in over four decades, and he is looking forward to welcoming PM Modi.
Further, he also wrote that this trip coincides with the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between both nations.
Notably, Modi’s upcoming visit to Austria on July 9 is the first visit by an Indian PM in 41 years after Indira Gandhi’s visit in 1983.
Taking to X, Austrian Chancellor said, “I very much look forward to welcoming @narendramodi , 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 forty years, and a significant milestone as we celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with India.”
Chancellor Nehammer emphasised the importance of this visit, noting that it provides an opportunity to deepen bilateral relations and enhance cooperation on various geopolitical challenges.
“We will have the opportunity to talk about further deepening our bilateral relationship and closer cooperation on the many geopolitical challenges,” said the Austrian Chancellor on X.
Earlier on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Modi’s upcoming visit to Austria would help in broadening the scope of India-Austria partnership and will help 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,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said in a press conference.
Kwatra also announced that during his visit, Modi will call on Austria’s President, Alexander Van der Bellen, and hold delegation-level talks with officials.
“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 the Foreign Secretary.
India and Austria have a long history of diplomatic relations, with several notable visits between the two nations. Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Indian leader to visit Austria in 1955 to meet then-Austrian Chancellor Julius Raab
In November 1999, the then Indian President KR Narayanan made India’s first state visit to Austria, after which, in 2011, ex-President Pratibha Patil travelled to the country.
The last Indian Prime Minister to visit Austria was Indira Gandhi in 1983. She had also visited the country in 1971.
Great opportunity, says Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that the biggest change in relations with Russia is that the economic relationship between the two countries has improved tremendously.
Jaishankar said that it will be a great opportunity for PM Modi and Russian President Putin to sit and discuss the relationship.
“It is a way of taking stock of any relationship… one of the biggest changes has been, that our economic relationship with Russia has grown tremendously… at the leadership level, it will be a great opportunity for Modi and Russian President Putin to sit down and directly talk to each other,” he said.
Jaishankar said that because of the varied preoccupations of both- PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the annual summit was a bit delayed.
“There was a bit of a delay in our annual summits, it is a good tradition, we are two countries which have a strong history of working together. We did value the need for an annual summit. Last year when I went to Moscow, I carried a message from the PM that we are committed to the annual summit and we will do it sooner rather than later…it is a regular recurrence. It is a way of taking stock of any relationship,” he said.
He said that both countries have a steady history of working together. “We look at the happenings around the world and see if we want to make any amends to a situation, we meet and discuss. This meeting was something that was waiting to happen.” (ANI)