PM Shehbaz lands in Vienna on two-day official visit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Vienna on Sunday for a two-day official visit at the invitation of Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, marking a key step in efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between Pakistan and Austria.

Shehbaz was received at Vienna International Airport, where he and his delegation were accorded a warm welcome. The Austrian armed forces presented a guard of honour upon his arrival.

PM Shehbaz said he looked forward to meeting Christian Stocker to “further strengthen the bonds of friendship” between Pakistan and Austria, with a focus on “trade, investment and economic cooperation”.

In a post on X after arriving in Vienna, Shehbaz wrote: “Wheels down in Vienna, a city of history, culture and global diplomacy.”

He added that he was also keen to engage with the leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization to deepen cooperation on “peaceful nuclear energy, counter-narcotics and crime control, sustainable industrial development and shared progress.”

The prime minister is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, and Foreign Secretary Ambassador Amna Baloch. The visit will mark 70 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Austria.

According to the Foreign Office (FO), “During the visit, the prime minister will hold bilateral talks with his Austrian counterpart. The two leaders will take stock of the entire gamut of bilateral relations.”

He will also attend and speak at a special event in Vienna under the United Nations on the theme of “Sustainable Development, Global Peace and Prosperity.”

The FO statement noted that Pakistan and Austria “enjoy cordial and friendly relations, underpinned by shared values of dialogue, cooperation, an international order based on the principles of the UN Charter, multilateralism, and respect for international law.”

PM Shehbaz is also expected to meet the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The PMO statement said that the prime minister will also chair a meeting of the Pakistan-Austria Business Forum, organised by the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO), and will visit multilateral organisations.

This visit marks the first trip by a Pakistani prime minister to Austria in more than three decades, the last having been undertaken by then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1992, read the FO statement.