Pakistan, Austria agree to expand bilateral cooperation in diverse fields

Pakistan and Austria – (Web Desk) – Pakistan and Austria have agreed to deepen their bilateral partnership across multiple sectors, including trade, investment, tourism, education, IT, healthcare, and workforce development. This understanding was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker in Vienna on Monday.

Both leaders expressed their commitment to speeding up the signing of key agreements in these areas and discussed important regional and global issues. They reaffirmed the vital role of the United Nations in promoting peace, resolving disputes peacefully, supporting sustainable development, addressing climate change, and protecting human rights. They also appreciated each other’s support at international forums and pledged to continue working together to strengthen global cooperation.

The two leaders jointly chaired a CEOs’ forum attended by top Pakistani and Austrian companies from sectors such as renewable energy, manufacturing, IT, textiles, healthcare, tourism, and agriculture. Both sides agreed to increase government-to-government and business-to-business cooperation by making better use of existing platforms.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited Austrian companies to attend the upcoming EU-Pakistan Business Forum in Islamabad this April. He thanked Chancellor Stocker for the warm hospitality and productive discussions, saying the visit would give new momentum to bilateral relations. He also invited the Austrian Chancellor to visit Pakistan officially.

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 delivered the opening remarks at the Pakistan–Austria High-Level Business Roundtable in Vienna, hosted at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif @CMShehbaz.… pic.twitter.com/zy56GhIP9T

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) February 16, 2026

Earlier, upon his arrival at the Federal Chancellery, Prime Minister Shehbaz was warmly received with a guard of honour. The leaders first held a one-on-one meeting, followed by delegation-level talks, where the Prime Minister highlighted Pakistan’s strong potential in renewable energy, agriculture, mining, and human resource development, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to expanding economic cooperation with Austria.

The prime minister said that Pakistan was an agrarian country and more than 60% people lived in the rural areas, calling upon Austrian expertise to enhance value-addition in citrus and other produce for export markets.

He also invited Austrian investors to explore opportunities in mining, tourism and engineering sectors.

“Austria has world-class expertise in engineering, renewable energy, environmental technology and advanced manufacturing,” he said while addressing the Pakistan-Austria Business Forum in Vienna.

He invited Austrian companies to participate in Pakistan’s renewable energy projects, grid modernization and energy logging initiatives.

PM Shehbaz Sharif extended a personal invitation to Austrian business leaders to visit Pakistan, promising to showcase investment opportunities and the country’s scenic treasures, from snow-capped mountains to vibrant cultural hubs.

The prime minister said both countries shared a longstanding friendship grounded in historical ties and decades of Austrian business engagement in Pakistan, particularly in areas such as cable car installations, minerals and renewable energy technology.

“Although the level of economic activity in recent years has declined for a variety of reasons, Austrian firms have made impactful contributions in Pakistan,” he said.

The prime minister noted that discussions with the Austrian Federal Chancellor had been very warm, fruitful and productive, where both leaders agreed to follow up the meetings to take discussions to their logical conclusion.

“Pakistan is an agrarian economy with huge potential in this field. We have very hardworking farmers and a knowledgeable farming community. The Government of Pakistan, along with the provincial governments, is supporting our farmers to enhance per-acre yield of agricultural… pic.twitter.com/8DwdXt1jG7

— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) February 16, 2026

He said approximately 60% of the country’s 240 million population was young and ready to contribute to global technological and industrial value chains.

“We are working to equip our youth with modern training — laptops, AI skills, IT-led education, vocational and technical training are being rolled out at the federal and provincial levels,” he said, stressing Pakistan’s readiness to supply internationally certified skilled labor to European markets in response to demand.

He also expressed the resolve to combat illegal immigration in collaboration with partners like Austria, Germany and France.

The prime minister also announced Pakistan’s intention to host the EU-Pakistan Business Forum in Islamabad at the end of April, with participation from Austrian companies expected to further solidify economic collaboration between the two nations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on the occasion emphasised that under PM Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership, Pakistan’s foreign policy had given economic diplomacy equal weight to traditional diplomatic engagement.

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“Economic cooperation is the main driving force of Pakistan-Austria bilateral relations,” he said, noting Austria’s technological excellence and Pakistan’s dynamic, resilient and rapidly evolving economic landscape.

Ishaq Dar added that Pakistan had undertaken structural reforms to stabilize the macroeconomic environment, enhance fiscal discipline and improve the ease of doing business.

“Our bilateral trade volume does not reflect the true potential of the friendship and the relationship of our two great countries. This is precisely why we are here — to convert this potential into performance,” he stated.

Earlier, Vice President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber Carmen Goby, reaffirmed Austria’s keen interest in expanding cooperation with Pakistan.

Recalling her leadership of an Austrian business delegation to Pakistan in 2022, she praised the hospitality shown by Pakistan and highlighted the country’s economic prospects, particularly in hydropower, rail infrastructure, digital transformation and emerging technologies including drones and quantum applications.

“I see considerable potential for expanding cooperation in infrastructure development, industrial competitiveness and digital transformation,” she said and adding that Pakistan’s geographic location positions it as a “vital bridge to one of the world’s most dynamic future regions.”

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The Austrian business leader also outlined Austria’s own strategic positioning as a logistics and defense hub in Central Europe, suggesting complementary opportunities for partnership with Pakistan.

A formal welcome ceremony in honour of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was held at the Austrian Chancellery in Vienna.

On the occasion, anthems of both the countries were played. The guard of honour was presented to the Prime Minister by the honor guards of Austria. Both the leaders introduced their respective delegations to each other before proceeding for tête-à-tête and the delegation-level talks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also penned remarks in the guest book at the Chancellery. Earlier on arrival, the Prime Minister was received by Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.