Ambassador meets members of India friendship group in Austrian Parliament, discusses growing momentum

Vienna, June 26 (IANS) India’s Ambassador to Austria, Shambhu S. Kumaran, on Friday met members of the India Friendship Group in the Austrian Parliament and discussed the growing momentum in bilateral relations.

“Ambassador Shambhu S. Kumaran met members of the India Friendship Group in Austrian Parliament. Members of the Group from the National Council of Austria, Ms. Elisabeth Gotze (The Greens-Chair), Mr. Harald Servus (OVP), Mr. Andreas Minnich (OVP), Dr. Axel Kassegger (FPO), Mr. Gerhard Kaniak (FPO) and Mr. Yannick Shetty (NEOS) attended,” the Embassy/Permanent Mission of India in Vienna wrote on X.

“Wide ranging discussions on the growing momentum in India-Austria relations and opportunities to further deepen bilateral cooperation in trade, sustainability, innovation, mobility, supply chain resilience as well as new areas including security and defence, Space and emerging technologies,” it added.

Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Storker visited India in April, marking his first-ever official visit to India, aimed at strengthening bilateral ties across key sectors such as trade, investment and emerging technologies.

During his visit, Stocker hailed India’s role bilaterally and in international forums, saying that New Delhi’s “voice carries a lot of weight”. He stated that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agree that peace in all conflicts can be achieved through negotiations.

Addressing a joint press meet with PM Modi following their talks in New Delhi, Stocker stated that he and Prime Minister Modi support a rules-based order and not a world where “might is right”.

Terming his visit to New Delhi a “milestone” for bilateral ties, he said, “My visit is in fact a milestone for Austrian-Indian relations, and I am very pleased, and I also think it’s a great honour to be the first federal Chancellor to visit India in more than 40 years. Mr Prime Minister, you visited Vienna in the summer of 2024, and I think we can truly say that the diplomatic relations that we’ve had for the last 75 years are much stronger than ever before, and we will be trying to build on this positive dynamism. And thank you very much, Mr Prime Minister, for your invitation and also for your very friendly welcome and your hospitality.”

–IANS

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