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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer reaffirmed their strong support for the ongoing India-EU trade and investment negotiations and the early implementation of the EU-India Connectivity Partnership, in their bilateral discussions in Vienna on Wednesday.
The two countries also identified new opportunities to further strengthen cooperation by preparing a blueprint for cooperation over the coming decades.
Key areas
“This is not limited to economic cooperation and investment alone. We will work to combine our strengths in areas such as infrastructure development, innovation, renewable energy, hydrogen, water and waste management, artificial intelligence and quantum technology,” Modi said in his press statement at a joint press conference with Nehammer.
The two leaders emphasised that India and the EU have the largest and most vibrant free-market space in the world, and noted that deeper EU-India ties will be mutually beneficial as well as have a positive global impact, per a joint statement issued following the bilateral meeting between the two leaders.
“Chancellor Nehammer and Prime Minister Modi agreed to support various initiatives to bring India and the EU closer. In this context, they reaffirmed their strong support for the ongoing India-EU trade and investment negotiations and the early implementation of the EU-India Connectivity Partnership,” it said.
Modi also met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and discussed ways to further expand bilateral cooperation in several sectors, including environment and combating climate change. “Had a very good meeting with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and discussed ways to expand India-Austria cooperation,” Modi said in a post on social media platform `X’ after the meeting.
“The two leaders discussed bilateral and global issues. They also exchanged views on environmental sustainability, global warming and climate change action,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
Startup Bridge
Modi and Nehammer also welcomed initiatives to link the innovation and start-up ecosystems of the two countries through the `Startup Bridge’ set up during the visit of the Austrian Minister of Labour and Economy to India in February 2024 and the successful visit of a group of Indian start-ups to Austria in June. They encouraged relevant agencies of both countries to work to deepen further similar exchanges in future, including through frameworks such as Austria’s Global Incubator Network and the Start Up India initiative.
The convening of the first-ever high-level bilateral business forum with the participation of the CEOs of several companies in Vienna during the visit was welcomed by both leaders. “The two leaders addressed the Business Forum and encouraged business representatives to work towards new and more dynamic tie-ups across different sectors,” the joint statement noted.
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