New Delhi, 16 April (H.S.):
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held comprehensive bilateral talks Thursday with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in New Delhi, yielding agreements to deepen cooperation across trade, investment, technology, green energy, education, culture, mobility, and people-to-people links.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted 15 tangible outcomes in defense, tech, trade, innovation, skills, and counter-terrorism, positioning high-tech collaboration as the partnership's cornerstone.PM Modi hosted lunch in Stocker's honor.
Six Key Pacts and Strategic Initiatives
Foreign Secretary (West) Sibi George noted discussions at Hyderabad House covered mutual interests and global challenges. Post-talks, six MoUs and Letters of Intent were exchanged: audio-visual co-production, food safety standards, fast-track investment mechanisms, defense cooperation, UN peacekeeping-UNICRI partnership, a Vienna joint space industry seminar in 2026, and a Working Holiday Programme for youth mobility.
Counter-Terrorism and Global Alignment
Leaders condemned cross-border terrorism unequivocally, forming a joint working group for intelligence sharing, capacity building, and curbing tech misuse. They recommitted to UN and FATF standards against terror financing.
PM Modi tweeted the visit's historic significance—first Austrian Chancellor trip in four decades, signaling Europe's trust. Stocker echoed this, marking 75 years of friendship amid global flux and eyeing India-EU FTA gains in trade, jobs, and manufacturing.
Stocker's April 14-17 tour, his first to Asia as Chancellor, charts a dynamic new phase in relations.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
