Prime Minister Narendra Modi signing the Guestbook at the Federal Chancellery in Vienna, Austria on July 10, 2024.
Vienna: Chancellor Karl Nehammer today conveyed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the keen interest of Austria in engaging with the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) and pointed to Austria’s location at the centre of Europe as a key enabler of connectivity. The IMEC was launched on the margins of the G20 summit in Delhi in September 2023.
The two leaders agreed that this project would be of great strategic importance and would significantly enhance the potential and flow of commerce and energy between India, the Middle East and Europe. Both emphasised that India and the European Union 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.
Nehammer and 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.
At the invitation of Nehammer, Modi was on a two-day official visit to Austria from July 9-10, 2024. During his visit, he called on Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria, and held bilateral discussions with Nehammer. This was the Prime Minister’s first visit to Austria and that of an Indian Prime Minister after 41 years. This year marks the 75th year of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Both leaders today released a joint statement that recognised the two countries having the potential to significantly upgrade their bilateral partnership to a higher level. They agreed to adopt a strategic approach to advance this shared objective. To this end, in addition to closer political-level dialogue, they emphasised a future-oriented bilateral sustainable economic and technology partnership, covering a range of new initiatives and joint projects, collaborative technology development, research and innovation and business-to-business engagement inter alia in green and digital technologies, infrastructure, renewable energy, water management, life sciences, smart cities, mobility and transportation. They identified a stronger economic and technological partnership between the two countries as a strategic objective. In this context, they welcomed 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. The two leaders addressed the Business Forum and encouraged business representatives to work towards new and more dynamic tie-ups across different sectors.
The leaders welcomed initiatives to link the innovation and start-up ecosystems of the two countries through the Start-Up 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 2024. 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.
Chancellor Nehammer and Prime Minister Modi recognised the importance of skill development and mobility of skilled personnel to support an expanded engagement in high-tech sectors. In this regard, they welcomed the operationalisation of the bilateral Migration and Mobility Agreement, which provides an institutional framework to facilitate such exchanges, while at the same time combating irregular migration. They encouraged academic institutions of both countries to build future-oriented partnerships focused on areas of mutual interest, especially in science, technology, and engineering.
Both noted the scope for engagement in the context of the Austrian government’s Hydrogen Strategy and the National Green Hydrogen Mission launched by India to address the energy transition challenges and supported a wide-ranging partnership between the companies and Research and Development institutions of both countries in renewable/green hydrogen. They identified a range of environmental technologies for targeted cooperation in areas such as clean transportation, water and wastewater management, waste management, renewable energy and other clean technologies. They encouraged public and private institutions to extend financing for ventures and projects in these sectors to support an expanded engagement in these and allied sectors. They also recognised the growing role of digital technologies in industrial processes (Industry 4.0), including in the area of sustainable economy.
Prime Minister Modi conveyed India’s invitation to Austria for its membership in the International Solar Alliance, which recently achieved an important milestone by welcoming its 100th member.
Both leaders further reinforced their commitment to a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific in accordance with the international law of the sea as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and with full respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and freedom of navigation to the benefit of maritime security and international peace and stability.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and the principles of the United Nations Charter. They agreed to work together to safeguard and promote these fundamental principles through regular bilateral consultations and coordination at multilateral forums.
The two leaders exchanged in-depth assessments of recent developments in Europe as well as West Asia/Middle East. They noted the complementarities in the approaches of the two countries, which prioritise efforts towards restoring peace and avoiding armed conflict as well as rigorous adherence to international law and the UN Charter.
Concerning the war in Ukraine, both leaders supported any collective effort to facilitate a peaceful resolution consistent with international law and the UN Charter. Both sides believe that achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine requires bringing together all stakeholders and a sincere and earnest engagement between the two parties to the conflict.
Both Modi and Nehammer reiterated their unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border and cyber-terrorism and emphasised that no country should provide safe haven to those who finance, plan, support or commit terrorist acts. Both sides also called for concerted action against all terrorists, including through designations or individuals affiliated with groups that are listed by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee. Both countries reiterated their commitment to work together in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog of which both countries are members, No Money For Terror (NMFT) and other multilateral platforms.
– global bihari bureau
