New Delhi, April 9 (NationPress) The Federal Chancellor of Austria, Christian Stocker, is scheduled to embark on an official visit to India from April 14 to 17, as confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday.

Marking his inaugural journey to India and his first official engagement in Asia, Chancellor Stocker will visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will be accompanied by a distinguished delegation that includes Federal Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, along with senior officials and business representatives.

According to the MEA, during this visit, PM Modi and Chancellor Stocker will engage in discussions aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in various sectors. They are also expected to share perspectives on regional and global issues of common interest, including collaborations in multilateral platforms. The Prime Minister is set to host a luncheon in honor of the visiting leader.

Moreover, Stocker will meet President Droupadi Murmu and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during his stay in New Delhi.

The statement from the MEA noted, "India and Austria maintain cordial, multifaceted relations grounded in shared democratic values. The highly successful visit by the Prime Minister to Austria in July 2024 significantly elevated the contemporary ties between the nations. Chancellor Stocker's visit reflects the mutual commitment to further strengthen and broaden the partnership in new areas of shared interest."

PM Modi had visited Austria from July 9 to 10, 2024 at the invitation of then-Chancellor Karl Nehammer. This marked the Prime Minister's first official trip to Austria and the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 41 years. Notably, this year also celebrated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During this historic visit, both leaders reaffirmed their dedication to enhancing bilateral, regional, and international cooperation for a more stable, prosperous, and sustainable world.

They acknowledged the potential for significantly upgrading their bilateral partnership and agreed to pursue a strategic approach to achieve this goal. As part of this initiative, the MEA had indicated that, beyond political dialogues, the two leaders would focus on a future-oriented bilateral economic and technology partnership, encompassing various new initiatives, joint projects, collaborative technology development, research and innovation, as well as business-to-business engagement particularly in green and digital technologies, infrastructure, renewable energy, water management, life sciences, smart cities, mobility, and transportation.