Pakistan and Austria have agreed to further cement their bilateral relationship in diverse fields including economic cooperation, trade and investment, tourism, hospitality, education, IT, healthcare, human resource development and mobility.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker in Vienna on Monday.
Both leaders agreed to work towards the early finalization of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering these priority sectors. They also exchanged views on regional and global developments, reaffirming the central role of the United Nations in addressing challenges related to peace and security, peaceful dispute resolution, sustainable development, climate action and the promotion of human rights.
The two sides expressed their shared commitment to multilateralism and appreciated mutual support for each other’s candidatures at international forums, while pledging to work with the global community to strengthen the UN system.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chancellor Stocker also co-chaired a CEOs Forum comprising leading Austrian and Pakistani companies. The participating firms represented sectors such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, industrial manufacturing and construction, IT, textiles, surgical equipment, leather and sports goods, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, and food and agro-industries.
It was agreed to enhance government-to-government (G2G), government-to-business (G2B), and business-to-business (B2B) engagements through effective utilization of existing platforms.
The Prime Minister invited Austrian businesses to participate in the upcoming EU-Pakistan Business Forum scheduled to be held in Islamabad in April.
Shehbaz Sharif thanked Chancellor Stocker for the productive meetings, expressing hope that the visit would provide fresh momentum to bilateral ties. He also extended an invitation to the Austrian Chancellor to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience.
Upon his arrival at the Federal Chancellery, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was received by Chancellor Stocker and accorded a guard of honour. He later held a restricted meeting with the Chancellor, followed by delegation-level talks.
