Looking forward to discussions on strengthening bonds: PM Modi ahead of Austria visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called his upcoming Austria visit an honour as India and Austria celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations He expressed his anticipation for discussions with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on strengthening the bond between the two nations and exploring new avenues of cooperationPM Modis statement came in response to Karl Nehammers post on X where he described PM Modis upcoming Austria visit as a significant milestone Nehammer noted that they will have the opportunity to hold talks on further deepening bilateral ties and closer cooperation on many geopolitical challengesI very much look forward to welcoming narendramodi the Prime Minister of India the worlds 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 We will have the opportunity to talk about further deepening our bilateral relationship and closer cooperation on the many geopolitical challenges Karl Nehammer said in a post on XIn response PM Modi stated Thank you Chancellor karlnehammer 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 The shared values of democracy freedom and rule of law form the bedrock upon which we will build an ever closer partnershipPM Modi will be travelling to Austria from July 910 marking the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Austria in 41 years according to the Ministry of External Affairs MEADuring his visit he will meet Austrias President Alexander Van der Bellen and hold talks with Austrian Chancellor Karl NehammerPM Modi and Karl Nehammer will also address business leaders from India and Austria PM Modi will interact with members of the Indian community in Moscow and Vienna according to the MEAEarlier on Friday Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that PM Modis upcoming visit to Austria would help broaden the scope of the IndiaAustria partnership and address issues of regional and global importance of mutual interestThe 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 Vinay Kwatra said in a press conferenceKwatra also announced that PM Modi will meet Austrias President Alexander Van der Bellen and hold delegationlevel talks with officialsIn 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 delegationlevel talks as well as highlevel business engagement in Austria said the Foreign SecretaryPrime Minister Narendra Modi will be on an official visit to Russia and Austria from July 810 After concluding his visit to Russia PM Modi will travel to Austria from July 910Diplomatic relations between India and Austria were established on November 10 1949 This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and AustriaAustria is a steadfast and reliable partner of India The bilateral ties between the two nations are wideranging multidimensional and mutually beneficialThe shared and abiding commitment to the ideals of democracy and pluralism has only reinforced close and friendly ties between India and AustriaThenPresident KR Narayanan paid the first State Visit from India to Austria in November 1999 In 2005 Austrian President Heinz Fischer visited IndiaThe last Indian Prime Minister to visit Austria was Indira Gandhi in 1983 She had also visited the country in 1971 In 2011 thenPresident Pratibha Patil travelled to AustriaEarlier in 2017 PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with thenAustrian Chancellor Christian Kern on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum SPIEF in St Petersburg He also met thenAustrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow in 2021