 "What to expect from Modi’s Austria visit, the first by Indian PM in over 40 years?")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Austria on a two-day visit (July 9 and 10), the first by an Indian prime minister in over four decades. He arrived in Vienna on Tuesday from Moscow.
Modi’s visit also comes in the backdrop of New Delhi and Vienna celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations.
On his arrival in Vienna, he was welcomed by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. Modi thanked him for a “warm welcome”.
Thank you, Chancellor @karlnehammer, for the warm welcome. I look forward to our discussions tomorrow as well. Our nations will continue working together to further global good. 🇮🇳 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/QHDvxPt5pv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 9, 2024
Ahead of his visit to Austria, Prime Minister Modi on Sunday said the shared values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law form the bedrock upon which the two countries will build an ever-closer partnership.
Modi’s remark came a day after Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer posted on ‘X’, “I very much look forward to welcoming Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, the world’s 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 40 years and a significant milestone as we celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with India,” he said.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“We will have the opportunity to talk about further deepening our bilateral relationship and closer cooperation on the many geopolitical challenges,” the Austrian chancellor said.
Responding to Nehammer, Modi said, “Thank you, Chancellor Karl Nehammer. 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.”
But what is Modi going to do on the trip? Whom is he going to meet? Why his visit to Austria significant?
Let’s take a closer look:
What we know about the trip
Modi is visiting Austria at the invitation of Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
This is the prime minister’s first visit to Austria.
Modi in October 2021 met the then Australian chancellor Alexander Schallenberg – now the foreign minister – on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow.
Modi in 2017 held a bilateral meeting with then Austrian chancellor Christian Kern in St Petersburg on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The prime minister is set to meet Austria’s president Alexander Van der Bellen.
He will also hold delegation-level talks with Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
“In 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 delegation-level talks as well as high-level business engagement in Austria,” said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.
Modi will meet business leaders from India and Austria.
He will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Vienna.
What can we expect from the trip?
India and Austria are expected to further strengthen ties.
Kwatra said that this trip would help us broaden the scope of our partnership, along with helping to address issues of regional and global importance of mutual interest.
“The 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,” said foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra.
Kwatra said that Austria is a key country in Central Europe, adding that Austria provides great opportunities for cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, renewable energy, high technology, start-ups, and media and entertainment.
“Austria is an important Central European country, the headquarters of, as you would all know, the International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE),” Kwatra said at a press conference.
“Austria offers excellent opportunities for bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, renewable energy, high technology areas, start-up sectors, media, and entertainment and has registered good growth over the last couple of years,” he added.
The trip also comes months after the India-Austria Startup Bridge was launched in February.
The bridge aimed to increase collaboration and knowledge sharing between startups in both the countries.
“In February 2024, a new initiative called the “starter bridge” was launched between the two countries and it is already showing positive results. Additionally, India and Austria signed a comprehensive agreement on migration and mobility,” Foreign Secretary said.
“Our investment linkages also continue to grow, even though, in volume terms, they may be small. Several Austrian companies have a presence in India. In February 2024, in India-Austria, a starter bridge was also launched, which has already had a very promising start. India and Austria had also signed a comprehensive migration and mobility agreement,” said Kwatra.
Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Pavan Kapoor said, “We have had a “good and steadfast” relationship with Austria. Our focus will be innovation and technology”.
India-Austria relations
Austria recognised India’s independence in 1947.
India and Austria then established diplomatic relations in 1949.
In 1955, then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Austria.
The Congress on Tuesday pointed out the massive role India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru played in the 1950s in the emergence of a sovereign and neutral Austria.
Congress general secretary, in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh wrote, “Dr Hans Kochler, a noted Austrian academic, has written about the key role Jawaharlal Nehru played in the early fifties in the emergence of a sovereign and neutral Austria after a decade of occupation by the victorious World War II powers,” Ramesh said.
“One of Nehru’s most ardent global admirers was the legendary Bruno Kreisky, who was Chancellor of Austria during 1970-83,” he said.
“In 1989, Dr Kreisky recalled Nehru thus: ‘When the history of this century is written, and that of the men who have put their stamp on it one of the greatest and finest chapters will be the story of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It will be a part of India’s most modern history… Very early Nehru had become one of my instructors.”
In 1980, then then Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky visited India.
That trip was followed by then prime minister Indira Gandhi visited Austria in 1983.
Indira’s 1983 trip was followed by the visit of then chancellor Fred Sinowatz in 1984.
While there have been no prime ministerial visits from India since Indira Gandhi’s visit, there have been a slew of president-level visits to Austria.
The then president K R Narayanan visited Austria in 1999; then president Heinz Fischer visited in 2005; then Austrian Vice Chancellor Josef Proll in 2010; and then president Pratibha Devisingh Patil in 2011, according to the profile on the MEA website.
“India and Austria have had a regular exchange of visits including at the level of leaders, ministers and parliamentarians highlighting the importance that both countries accord to further strengthening their relations,” according to a profile of India-Austria bilateral relations put up on the website of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Trade and cultural ties
As per ETV Bharat, bilateral trade between the two nations has been gradually increasing.
According to Financial Express, bilateral trade between India and Austria stood at $2.93 billion in 2023.
India exports electronics, textiles, apparel, footwear and chemicals to Austria.
Vienna, meanwhile, sends machinery, automotive parts, and chemicals to India.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Austria offers “excellent opportunities” for bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, renewable energy, high technology areas, start-up sectors, media and entertainment.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had visited Austria from December 31, 2022, to January 3, 2023.
During the visit, he had met with Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Karl Nehammer and President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka.
He held delegation-level talks with the Austrian Foreign Minister, Alexander Schallenberg.
Five agreements were also signed during the visit, according to the bilateral relations profile dated June 2023.
During Austrian Foreign Minister Schallenberg’s visit to India in 2022, both ministers had discussed the “entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, commercial and consular ties.”
As per Financial Express, India and Austria have had cultural exchanges dating back as far as the 16th Century.
“The visit of India’s philosopher-poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore twice to Vienna – in 1921 and 1926 – was one of the crucial bridges of cultural and intellectual exchange between India and Austria,” the MEA website said.
Austria is known for its rich cultural and architectural heritage with Vienna renowned for its legacy of orchestral music and legendary composers.
According to the MEA, around 31,000 Indians are living in Austria – a majority of them from Kerala and Punjab.
The Indian diaspora mainly consists of professionals working primarily in the health care sector and in the multilateral UN bodies, businessmen and self-employed individuals.
They are roughly evenly divided between NRIs and PIOs.
Over 500 Indian students are pursuing their higher education in Austria, the MEA added.
The Indian diaspora has expressed happiness at the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Austria and said that it’s a matter of pride that an Indian Prime Minister is visiting the country after 40 years.
Speaking with ANI, Samir, hailing from Maharashtra said, “It is great that PM Narendra Modi is coming here. As far as I know, it has been 40 years since an Indian PM visited this country. And I think this would be a good initiative for the cultural and economic ties between both nations. I am looking forward to seeing him here.”
Gaurav from Punjab, who has been residing in Vienna for 12 years said, “PM Modi is coming here and I am really happy. My eyes are yearning to see him. After 40 years, an Indian PM is coming to Austria. It feels good and tomorrow, we will be more excited about seeing him.”
Amarjeet from Chandigarh said that it is a big thing that an Indian PM is coming to this place after 40 years. “I have been here for the last 23 years. It’s a good feeling. The Indian population, which is around 30,000 to 35,000 is feeling good. Those people who would be able to see PM Modi will be lucky,” he said.
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
