Vienna, July 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he held “fruitful discussions” with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer during which they discussed in detail the ongoing disputes in the world, including the Ukraine conflict and situation in West Asia, reaffirming that “this is not the time for war”.
Modi, who arrived here from Moscow after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday night on a two-day visit – the first by an Indian prime minister in over 40 years, also said India and Austria identified new possibilities to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and prepared a blueprint for cooperation for the coming decade.
“Chancellor Nehammer and I have discussed in detail the ongoing conflicts around the world, whether it is the conflict in Ukraine or the situation in West Asia. I have said before that this is not a time for war. Problems cannot be solved on the battlefield. The loss of innocent lives, anywhere, is unacceptable,” Modi said in a joint press statement along with Chancellor Nehammer after their talks.
He said India and Austria emphasise on dialogue and diplomacy for the earliest possible restoration of peace and stability.
“We are both ready to provide every possible cooperation to achieve this,” he said, recalling that the historic Vienna Congress was hosted in the hall where they are standing and that the conference provided direction for peace and stability in Europe.
On his part, Nehammer said India is an influential and credit-worthy country whose role is more than important when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine peace process.
“We had very intensive talks about the Russian aggression against Ukraine. For me as the Federal Chancellor of Austria, it is particularly important to get to know India’s assessment and to understand it and to familiarise India with European concerns and worries,” said Nehammer, whose country is an ally of Ukraine.
“Moreover, the conflict in the Middle East was a major topic,” he added.
During his talks with Putin on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi told him that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed amid bombs and bullets.
Nehammer said as a reliable partner, Austria will be available as a site for dialogue, making use of its unique position as a neutral country, a member of the European Union but not a member of NATO. “As such Austria is willing to act as a bridge builder and to contribute towards the achievement of a peaceful solution,” he said.
Modi said he was happy that he got the opportunity to visit Austria at the very beginning of his third term. “This visit of mine is both historic and special. After 41 years, an Indian Prime Minister has visited Austria. It is also a pleasant coincidence that this visit is taking place as our bilateral relations complete 75 years,” Modi said.
He said shared belief in values such as democracy and the rule of law forms the strong foundation of our relationship. “Mutual trust and shared interests strengthen our ties,” he added.
“Today, Chancellor Nehammer and I had very fruitful discussions. We have identified new opportunities to further strengthen our cooperation. We have decided to provide strategic direction to our relationship. A blueprint for cooperation over the coming decades has been prepared. This is not limited to economic cooperation and investment alone,” Modi said.
“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. To connect the youth and ideas of both countries, the start-up bridge will be accelerated,” he said.
Stating that an agreement on mobility and migration partnership has already been reached, the prime minister said this will facilitate legal migration and the movement of skilled workforce.
“Today, we also shared our thoughts on challenges faced by humanity, such as climate change and terrorism. Regarding climate, we invite Austria to join our initiatives like the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and the Biofuel Alliance,” he said.
“We both strongly condemn terrorism. We agree that it is unacceptable in any form and cannot be justified in any way,” he said.
Modi said the two sides agreed on the need for reforms in the United Nations and other international institutions to make them more contemporary and effective.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen here and the two leaders 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 X after the meeting.
They deliberated ways to strengthen India-Austria relations in a host of sectors, the prime minister’s office said.
“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.
President Van der Bellen thanked Modi for visiting Austria, saying the two countries have a long friendship and strong bilateral relations, especially in the economic area. “We now want to expand these further,” he said in a series of posts on X.
As the world’s most populous country and a global economic power, India plays an important role in the fight against climate change.
“We need India as a partner in a structurally sustainable transformation towards climate neutrality,” he said.
He said the two sides also talked about current geopolitical challenges, especially the Ukraine conflict and they agreed that they will support efforts in restoring peace.
Modi, who arrived here from Moscow after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday night on a two-day visit – the first by an Indian prime minister in over 40 years, earlier in the day met with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
“Had an excellent meeting with Chancellor @karlnehammer. This visit to Austria is very special because it is after several decades that an Indian Prime Minister is visiting this wonderful country. It is also the time when we are marking 75 years of the India-Austria friendship,” Modi said in a series of posts on X.
“There are several shared principles that connect us such as democracy and rule of law. In the spirit of these shared values, Chancellor @karlnehammer and I agreed to further cement the India-Austria friendship across various sectors,” he said.
“Stronger economic ties naturally featured in our talks but we do not want to limit our friendship to only this aspect. We see immense potential in areas like infra development, innovation, water resources, AI, climate change and more,” he said in another post.
Modi also interacted with business leaders from the two countries and invited Austrian companies to invest in India in infrastructure, energy, emerging technologies and other sectors.
