Pakistan and Austria have agreed to further strengthen the bilateral relationship in diverse fields including economic cooperation, trade and investment, tourism, hospitality, education, IT, healthcare and human resource development and mobility.
This commitment was expressed at a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Federal Chancellor of Austria Christian Stocker in Vienna on Monday.
The two sides also agreed to work for the early finalization of Memoranda of Understanding related to these areas.
Both sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments. The agreed on the central role of the United Nations in addressing the challenges of peace and security, peaceful settlement of disputes, sustainable development, climate action and protection and promotion of human rights. They expressed their shared commitment to multilateralism, and appreciated mutual support for each other’s candidatures, while working together with the international community for strengthening the UN system.
The Prime Minister and the Federal Chancellor of Austria also co-chaired a forum of CEOs of leading Austrian and Pakistani companies working in renewable energies, energy efficiency, industrial manufacturing and construction, IT, textiles, surgical equipment, leather and sports products, healthcare, tourism and hospitality and food and agro-industries.
It was agreed to expand G2G, G2B and B2B engagements between the two countries through the effective utilization of the existing platforms.
The Prime Minister invited the Austrian businesses and companies to participate in the upcoming EU-Pakistan Business Forum to be held in Islamabad in April this year.
Shehbaz Sharif thanked the Federal Chancellor for the meaningful and productive meetings during the visit that would lend fresh impetus to bilateral ties. He extended an invitation to the Federal Chancellor to undertake an official visit to Pakistan, at his earliest convenience.
Earlier upon his arrival at the Federal Chancellery, the Prime Minister was received by Chancellor Stocker and welcomed by an impressive guard of honour ceremony. He also inscribed his comments in the Guest Book.
The two leaders held a restricted meeting, followed by delegation-level talks.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored Pakistan’s commitment to boosting bilateral economic cooperation with Austria while highlighting the country’s vast potential in key sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, mining, and human resource development.
The prime minister said that Pakistan was an agrarian country and more than 60% people lived in the rural areas, calling upon Austrian expertise to enhance value-addition in citrus and other produce for export markets.
He also invited Austrian investors to explore opportunities in mining, tourism and engineering sectors.
“Austria has world-class expertise in engineering, renewable energy, environmental technology and advanced manufacturing,” he said while addressing the Pakistan-Austria Business Forum in Vienna.
He invited Austrian companies to participate in Pakistan’s renewable energy projects, grid modernization and energy logging initiatives.
PM Shehbaz Sharif extended a personal invitation to Austrian business leaders to visit Pakistan, promising to showcase investment opportunities and the country’s scenic treasures, from snow-capped mountains to vibrant cultural hubs.
The prime minister said both countries shared a longstanding friendship grounded in historical ties and decades of Austrian business engagement in Pakistan, particularly in areas such as cable car installations, minerals and renewable energy technology.
“Although the level of economic activity in recent years has declined for a variety of reasons, Austrian firms have made impactful contributions in Pakistan,” he said.
The prime minister noted that discussions with the Austrian Federal Chancellor had been very warm, fruitful and productive, where both leaders agreed to follow up the meetings to take discussions to their logical conclusion.
He said approximately 60% of the country’s 240 million population was young and ready to contribute to global technological and industrial value chains.
“We are working to equip our youth with modern training — laptops, AI skills, IT-led education, vocational and technical training are being rolled out at the federal and provincial levels,” he said, stressing Pakistan’s readiness to supply internationally certified skilled labor to European markets in response to demand.
He also expressed the resolve to combat illegal immigration in collaboration with partners like Austria, Germany and France.
The prime minister also announced Pakistan’s intention to host the EU-Pakistan Business Forum in Islamabad at the end of April, with participation from Austrian companies expected to further solidify economic collaboration between the two nations.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on the occasion emphasised that under PM Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership, Pakistan’s foreign policy had given economic diplomacy equal weight to traditional diplomatic engagement.
“Economic cooperation is the main driving force of Pakistan-Austria bilateral relations,” he said, noting Austria’s technological excellence and Pakistan’s dynamic, resilient and rapidly evolving economic landscape.
Ishaq Dar added that Pakistan had undertaken structural reforms to stabilize the macroeconomic environment, enhance fiscal discipline and improve the ease of doing business.
“Our bilateral trade volume does not reflect the true potential of the friendship and the relationship of our two great countries. This is precisely why we are here — to convert this potential into performance,” he stated.
Earlier, Vice President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber Carmen Goby, reaffirmed Austria’s keen interest in expanding cooperation with Pakistan.
Recalling her leadership of an Austrian business delegation to Pakistan in 2022, she praised the hospitality shown by Pakistan and highlighted the country’s economic prospects, particularly in hydropower, rail infrastructure, digital transformation and emerging technologies including drones and quantum applications.
“I see considerable potential for expanding cooperation in infrastructure development, industrial competitiveness and digital transformation,” she said and adding that Pakistan’s geographic location positions it as a “vital bridge to one of the world’s most dynamic future regions.”
The Austrian business leader also outlined Austria’s own strategic positioning as a logistics and defense hub in Central Europe, suggesting complementary opportunities for partnership with Pakistan.
A formal welcome ceremony in honour of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was held at the Austrian Chancellery in Vienna.
On the occasion, anthems of both the countries were played. The guard of honour was presented to the Prime Minister by the honor guards of Austria. Both the leaders introduced their respective delegations to each other before proceeding for tête-à-tête and the delegation-level talks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also penned remarks in the guest book at the Chancellery. Earlier on arrival, the Prime Minister was received by Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.
