Pakistan and Austria on Monday agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Chancellor Christian Stocker in Vienna.

PM Shehbaz arrived in Vienna a day earlier on a two-day visit, with the Foreign Office (FO) noting that it marked the first visit by a Pakistani prime minister to Austria since 1992.

PM Shehbaz and Stocker held a “restricted meeting” at the Federal Chancellery today, which was followed by delegation-level talks, a press release issued by PID said.

The delegation talks included Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi, and Foreign Secretary Ambassador Amna Baloch.

The statement read: “Both leaders recalled the friendly and historic ties between the two countries and committed to work together more closely 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.

“To this end, they agreed to work for the early finalisation of MoUs (memoranda of understanding) under consideration related to these areas.”

The premier and the chancellor also “exchanged views on regional and global developments, and 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,” PID added.

PM Shehbaz thanked Stocker for the “meaningful and productive meetings” during the visit, which he said would lend fresh impetus to bilateral ties.

He also extended an invitation to the chancellor to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience.

According to the PID statement, the premier and the chancellor co-chaired a meeting of chief executive officers (CEOs) from leading Austrian and Pakistani companies working in a wide range of areas.

“It was agreed to expand G2G (government to government), G2B (government to business) and B2B (business to business) engagements between the two countries through the effective utilisation of the existing platforms,” the statement read.

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.

PM Shehbaz and Austrian Federal Economic Chamber Vice President Carmen Goby also witnessed the signing ceremony of an MoU between Pakistani and Austrian companies.

In a post on X later, PM Shehbaz stressed that his visit “carries special significance as we are having a high-level visit after more than three decades”.

“It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Pakistan–Austria diplomatic relations,” he noted.

He termed the meeting with Stocker “most warm and productive”, reiterating that the two reaffirmed their countries’ resolve to work closely in diverse fields.

‘Pakistan working to jointly ban illegal immigration’

Separately, PM Shehbaz stated that Pakistan was working with European partners to “jointly ban” illegal immigration.

Addressing the Pakistan–Austria High-Level Business Roundtable in Vienna, he affirmed Pakistan was “absolutely” against illegal immigration and was “working with our European friends — Austria, France, and Germany — to jointly ban this illegal immigration [and bring it] to a grinding halt”.

He assured Austria that Pakistan would fulfil its “demand for skilled labour” as per the international certification required by it.

Every year, many young Pakistanis leave the country via illegal routes in hopes of better employment opportunities.

A 2023 study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Union (EU) found that 24,000 Pakistanis entered EU countries illegally over the past three years.

At the outset of his address, the premier stressed that Pakistan and Austria shared “long-standing friendly relations”.

The premier outlined the areas in which the two countries remained “proactively engaged”, including mining and minerals and renewable energy.

He detailed that he held meetings with the leadership of Austria, stating that he aims “to take many of these discussions to their logical conclusion”.

He noted that 6o per cent of Pakistan’s population was young and “needed modern training in their hands, including laptops, AI, and IT-led initiatives”.

PM Shehbaz highlighted that Pakistan held “huge potential” in the field of agriculture.

“Here, Austria can be a great partner, providing Pakistan with experience and modern technology to have value-addition in the field of citrus root, and make marmalade, juices and export them to Austria, the Middle East and other parts of the world”, the premier added.

Earlier on Monday, PM Shehbaz was welcomed by Stocker upon his arrival at the Austrian Chancellery and was presented with a guard of honour, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The statement said that the national anthems of both countries were played at the arrival, and both leaders “introduced their respective delegations to each other before proceeding for tête-à-tête and the delegation-level talks”.

The premier also penned his remarks in the guest book at the Chancellery.

This visit marks 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.