Pakistan, Austria agree to boost ties in diverse fields

Pakistan and Austria on Monday agreed to further strengthen the bilateral relationship in diverse fields including economic cooperation, trade and investment, tourism, hospitality, education, IT, healthcare and human resource development and mobility.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Austria’s Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker here at the Federal Chancellery in the historic Hofburg Palace. Upon his arrival at the Federal Chancellery, the prime minister was received by Chancellor Stocker and welcomed by an impressive guard of honour ceremony. He also inscribed his comments in the guest book, a PM Office news release said.

The two leaders held a restricted meeting, followed by delegation-level talks, which included Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister (DPM/FM) Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, SAPM Syed Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch.

Both the leaders recalled the friendly and historic ties between the two countries and committed to work together more closely to further strengthen the bilateral relationship in diverse fields including economic cooperation, trade and investment, tourism, hospitality, education, IT, healthcare and human resource development and mobility. They agreed to work for the early finalisation of MoUs under consideration related to these areas.

Both the sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments, and agreed on the central role of the United Nations in addressing the challenges of peace and security, peaceful settlement of disputes, sustainable development, climate action and protection and promotion of human rights. They expressed their shared commitment to multilateralism, and appreciated mutual support for each other’s candidatures, while working together with the international community for strengthening the UN system.

The prime minister and the federal chancellor also co-chaired a forum of CEOs of leading Austrian and Pakistani companies working in renewable energies, energy efficiency, industrial manufacturing and construction, IT, textiles, surgical equipment, leather and sports products, healthcare, tourism and hospitality and food and agro-industries.

It was agreed to expand government-to-government (G2G), government-to-business (G2B) and business-to-business (B2B) engagements between the two countries through the effective utilisation of the existing platforms.

In their remarks, both the leaders highlighted the enormous potential to enhance trade, cooperation in AI and digital technology and other priority sectors. The prime minister invited the Austrian businesses and companies to expand their investments in Pakistan, particularly in the priority sectors for win-win partnerships between the private sectors of both countries.

The prime minister thanked the federal chancellor for the meaningful and productive meetings during the visit, that would lend fresh impetus to bilateral ties. He extended an invitation to the federal chancellor to undertake an official visit to Pakistan, at his earliest convenience.