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Pakistan, Austria Pledge Stronger Bilateral Ties During PM Shehbaz Visit
PM Shehbaz meets Austrian Chancellor Stocker in Vienna, boosting trade, investment, and cooperation on education, tech, and illegal immigration. Historic high-level visit after 30+ years.
ND
by News Desk
2026-02-16
Pakistan, Austria Pledge Stronger Bilateral Ties During PM Shehbaz Visit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker on Monday in Vienna, marking the first visit by a Pakistani prime minister to Austria since 1992. The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including economic growth, trade, investment, education, healthcare, IT, tourism, and human resource development.

The meeting, held at the Federal Chancellery, included restricted talks followed by delegation-level discussions involving Pakistan’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi, and Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch.

According to a press release by the Pakistan Information Department (PID), both leaders reaffirmed the historic friendship between their countries and committed to finalizing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) covering key areas of collaboration. They also exchanged views on global and regional developments and highlighted the central role of the United Nations in promoting peace, security, sustainable development, climate action, and human rights.

In addition to government-to-government cooperation, PM Shehbaz and Chancellor Stocker co-chaired a high-level business roundtable with CEOs from leading Austrian and Pakistani companies. Agreements were made to expand G2G, G2B, and B2B engagement, and Pakistani and Austrian firms signed an MoU during the event. The prime minister invited Austrian companies to participate in the upcoming EU-Pakistan Business Forum in Islamabad this April.

Addressing the business roundtable, PM Shehbaz emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to tackling illegal immigration in partnership with European countries, including Austria, France, and Germany. “Pakistan is absolutely against illegal immigration and is working with our European friends to jointly ban this practice and bring it to a grinding halt,” he stated.

Highlighting Pakistan’s economic potential, the premier spoke about youth-led initiatives, IT and AI training, renewable energy, agriculture, and value-added exports. He noted that Austria could play a significant role in modernizing Pakistan’s agricultural and industrial sectors, including citrus processing for export to Europe and the Middle East.

The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Austria. PM Shehbaz described the meetings as “warm and productive,” expressing hope that the visit would provide fresh impetus to bilateral ties. He also extended an invitation to Chancellor Stocker to visit Pakistan officially at his earliest convenience.

The prime minister’s visit included ceremonial honours, with both nations’ anthems played and delegations formally introduced, signaling a high-profile reaffirmation of friendship and cooperation between Islamabad and Vienna
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BilateralRelations

TradeAndInvestment

PMShehbaz

PakistanAustria
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