India, Austria agrees to enhance bilateral cooperation: Jaishankar

Vienna [Austria], January 2 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Sunday (Local Time), met Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer and said that both sides had agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said, "Thank Chancellor Karl Nehammer for receiving me today. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. Appreciated his insights on European Union policies and the Ukraine conflict. Discussed the Indo-Pacific and West Asia."

"Agreed to enhance our bilateral cooperation. Value Austria's support towards the improvement of India-EU ties," he added.

Earlier, Jaishankar met Bulgarian President Rumen Georgiev Radev in Vienna and discussed bolstering cooperation between the two nations in Make in India, near-shoring and building resilient supply chains.

Jaishankar tweeted, "A good meeting in Vienna with President Rumen Georgiev Radev of Bulgaria. Discussed strengthening of our cooperation in the context of Make in India, near-shoring and building resilient supply chains."

During his visit to Vienna, S Jaishankar also held a meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. He tweeted, "Delighted to see my good friend Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna. My first diplomatic engagement was in 2023. Thank him for inviting us to join the traditional New Year's concert in Vienna."

In the press release, the Ministry of External Affairs noted, "This will be the first EAM-level visit from India to Austria in the last 27 years, and takes place against the backdrop of 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2023."

During his visit to Austria, EAM Jaishankar will hold a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi. He is also scheduled to discuss regional and global issues with the Foreign Ministers of Czech, Slovak, and Austria in the Slavkov format. He will also interact with the Indian community living in Austria.

"In Austria, EAM will also meet the Foreign Ministers of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavsky; Slovak Republic, Rastislav Kacer, along with Austrian Federal Minister Schallenberg in the Slavkov format. Discussions are expected to focus on regional and global issues," the Ministry of External Affairs said in the press release.

Prior to his visit to Austria, Jaishankar had travelled to Cyprus and met former Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides during his three-day trip to the country. In a tweet, Jaishankar said, "Good to catch up with an old friend, former Foreign Minister @Christodulides."

This year marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Cyprus.

Jaishankar addressed a business event where he said that India is getting increasingly prominent in the global economy, as he underlined the reforms undertaken by the Modi government that contributed to the country becoming one of the strong destinations for inward foreign direct investment.

"Where India is concerned, it is a fairly objective statement today to make that we are getting increasingly prominent in the global economy. Out trade policies and reforms which were undertaken during this period and the inherent economic strength, all in a sense channelled by a clear economic vision of the Modi government has contributed to us becoming one of the strong destinations for inward foreign direct investment," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar met his Cyprus counterpart Ioannis Kasoulide, with whom he signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence and Military Cooperation. (ANI)