VIENNA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif began his two-day official visit to Austria on Monday, where he is scheduled to hold bilateral engagements and delegation-level talks, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The premier arrived in Vienna on Sunday at the invitation of Austria’s Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker. Upon his arrival at the Austrian Chancellery, he was presented with a guard of honour and formally received by the Austrian leader.
According to the PMO, the national anthems of both countries were played during the ceremony, after which the two leaders introduced their respective delegations before proceeding to tête-à-tête and delegation-level discussions, where both sides will review the full scope of bilateral relations. The prime minister also recorded his remarks in the Chancellery’s guest book.
Later, PM Shehbaz addressed the Pakistan-Austria Business Forum, where he emphasised that the two countries shared “long-standing friendly relations”. He highlighted key sectors of cooperation, including mining and minerals as well as renewable energy.
The prime minister said he had held meetings with Austrian leadership and aimed “to take many of these discussions to their logical conclusion”. He further noted that 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population was young and “needed modern training in their hands, including laptops, AI, and IT-led initiatives”.
Speaking on migration, he stated he was “absolutely against it” in reference to illegal immigration, adding, “We are working with our European friends to jointly ban this illegal immigration to a grinding halt.”
PM Shehbaz is accompanied on the visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and aide Tariq Fatemi.
The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Austria. The Foreign Office noted that it marks the first visit by a Pakistani prime minister to Austria in more than three decades, the last having been undertaken by then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1992.
