Surprise visit

India’s prime minister comes to Austria on July 9

The Indian Prime Minister Modi(Bild: AP)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a visit to Austria. According to a statement from the Federal Chancellery on Thursday, the visit will begin on July 9 and Modi will leave again on July 10. He will arrive from Moscow, where he will hold talks with President Vladimir Putin beforehand.

In Vienna, Modi will meet Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP). A joint media appearance is planned for Wednesday morning. A meeting with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen is also on the agenda for the afternoon. The talks will focus on "intensifying bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of business and technology", according to a statement.

More and more Austrian exports to India
With a bilateral trade volume of around 2.7 billion euros in 2023, India is one of Austria's most important trading partners outside the EU. Austrian exports to India are rising continuously. According to the Austrian National Bank, Austrian direct investment in India amounted to EUR 733 million at the end of 2023, while Indian direct investment in Austria reached EUR 1.6 billion.

Austria and India are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations this year. It is the first bilateral visit by an Indian head of government in 41 years, when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was a guest.

Previous visit to Putin
Modi, who was only re-elected as head of government at the beginning of June, will arrive directly from Moscow on Tuesday, where he will meet Putin, according to the Kremlin. The Indian government attaches great importance to relations with Russia, but India has so far remained neutral with regard to Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine. The last time Modi was in Russia was in 2019.