New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in New Delhi on Thursday, as the two sides signed multiple agreements to deepen bilateral cooperation.
The meeting took place at Hyderabad House during Stocker’s four-day visit to India, his first since assuming office last year. According to an official statement, the discussions focused on strengthening ties across key sectors, including trade, investment, technology, renewable energy, and cultural exchanges.
Both leaders also reviewed regional and global developments and explored ways to enhance coordination in multilateral forums. Following the talks, the two sides exchanged Memorandums of Understanding aimed at expanding cooperation.
During the joint press interaction, Modi stated that Stocker’s visit marked a significant moment in bilateral relations, noting that it came after several decades since an Austrian chancellor visited India. He said the visit reflected Austria’s commitment to strengthening ties with India and would add fresh momentum to cooperation.
He further said that the recent India-European Union Free Trade Agreement had opened a new chapter in India’s relations with the European bloc, and expressed confidence that Stocker’s visit would energise trade and investment flows between the two countries.
Highlighting future collaboration, the prime minister said India and Austria would combine their strengths to build reliable technology and supply chains. He noted that both sides would deepen partnerships in areas such as defence, semiconductors, quantum technologies, and biotechnology.
He also pointed to a newly signed agreement between IIT Delhi and Austria’s Montan University as a step forward in knowledge exchange. He added that both countries would expand cooperation in research and startups, while also advancing mobility under an existing migration and mobility agreement, including in the nursing sector.
The PM further stated that a new India-Austria Working Holiday Programme had been launched to strengthen people-to-people ties.
On global issues, he said both countries shared the view that military conflict could not resolve crises and emphasised the need for lasting peace, including in regions such as Ukraine and West Asia.
In a post on X, Stocker said: “Together, we are taking our partnership to a new level: we will strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, and green energy. This will create new opportunities for our people and businesses. Our relationship will continue to grow even stronger across all areas with the future implementation of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement.”
Earlier in the day, Chancellor Stocker paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, where he laid a wreath and reflected on Gandhi’s enduring message of peace and non-violence.
