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Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker has hailed his four‑day visit to India as a “milestone” in the bilateral relationship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held talks with Stocker at Delhi’s Hyderabad House. Modi said the fact that Stocker’s first trip outside Europe was to India reflected his vision and commitment to the India-Austria relationship.
In his public remarks, Stocker noted that India has an “impressive” growth rate of 7 per cent and that Austrian companies would benefit from the country’s dynamism.
Stocker separately wrote on X that the visit “marks a new chapter” in the bilateral relationship. He added that reliable partners connected by shared values were more important than ever in times of increasing geopolitical uncertainty.
Stocker further said, “Together, we are taking our partnership to a new level: we will strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, and green energy. This will create new opportunities for our people and businesses. Our relationship will continue to grow even stronger across all areas with the future implementation of the EU–India Free Trade Agreement.”
In his remarks in Hindi, Modi praised Austria’s tunnelling expertise and said the country had been a trusted partner in infrastructure development, innovation, and sustainability.
Modi said, “Be it the Delhi Metro or the Atal Tunnel built at 10,000 feet in the Himalayas, Austria’s tunnelling expertise has a deep footprint in India. From railway projects to the Girnar ropeway in Gujarat, and from clean energy to urban development, several Austrian companies have been active in engineering projects in India.”
Pitching the India-Austria partnership as a force for global good, Modi said the two countries should join hands to provide the world with reliable technology and supply chains.
“We will strengthen our partnership in the domains of defence, semiconductors, quantum and biotechnology. At the same time, we will also strengthen our collaboration in engineering and technical education. The MoU being signed today between IIT Delhi and Austria’s Montan University is a glowing example of such knowledge‑sharing,” Modi said.
Stocker’s visit to India resulted in 15 outcomes across areas including defence, technology, trade, innovation, skills development and counter‑terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
In the formal readout, Jaiswal said Modi and Stocker reviewed the full spectrum of the bilateral relationship, including trade and investment, technology and innovation, green and clean tech, educational and cultural exchanges, mobility and people‑to‑people ties, and cooperation in multilateral fora.
Jaiswal said both sides identified high‑technology cooperation as a central pillar of the Enhanced India-Austria Partnership.
“The leaders noted that the implementation of the historic India-EU Free Trade Agreement would open significant opportunities in areas of trade, manufacturing, investment and the creation of jobs, especially for the youth,” Jaiswal further said.
Stocker is on a four‑day visit to India. Earlier in the day, he laid a wreath at Rajghat in honour of Mahatma Gandhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held talks with Stocker at Delhi’s Hyderabad House. Modi said the fact that Stocker’s first trip outside Europe was to India reflected his vision and commitment to the India-Austria relationship.
In his public remarks, Stocker noted that India has an “impressive” growth rate of 7 per cent and that Austrian companies would benefit from the country’s dynamism.
Stocker separately wrote on X that the visit “marks a new chapter” in the bilateral relationship. He added that reliable partners connected by shared values were more important than ever in times of increasing geopolitical uncertainty.
Stocker further said, “Together, we are taking our partnership to a new level: we will strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, and green energy. This will create new opportunities for our people and businesses. Our relationship will continue to grow even stronger across all areas with the future implementation of the EU–India Free Trade Agreement.”
Thank you, Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, for the invitation to India and your kind hospitality. It is a great honour to be in New Delhi—as the first Austrian Chancellor to visit India in over four decades. This visit marks a new chapter in a friendship that has grown… pic.twitter.com/dSeOowv87A
— Christian Stocker (@_CStocker) April 16, 2026
PM Modi pitches India-Austria partnership as a force for global good
In his remarks in Hindi, Modi praised Austria’s tunnelling expertise and said the country had been a trusted partner in infrastructure development, innovation, and sustainability.
Modi said, “Be it the Delhi Metro or the Atal Tunnel built at 10,000 feet in the Himalayas, Austria’s tunnelling expertise has a deep footprint in India. From railway projects to the Girnar ropeway in Gujarat, and from clean energy to urban development, several Austrian companies have been active in engineering projects in India.”
Pitching the India-Austria partnership as a force for global good, Modi said the two countries should join hands to provide the world with reliable technology and supply chains.
“We will strengthen our partnership in the domains of defence, semiconductors, quantum and biotechnology. At the same time, we will also strengthen our collaboration in engineering and technical education. The MoU being signed today between IIT Delhi and Austria’s Montan University is a glowing example of such knowledge‑sharing,” Modi said.
Held very productive discussions with Chancellor Stocker of Austria. We in India are glad that he selected our nation as his first destination to visit outside Europe after he assumed office. This reflects his vision and commitment to India-Austria relations. Equally special is… pic.twitter.com/6tzORXGs7H
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 16, 2026
15 outcomes from Austrian Chancellor’s visit
Stocker’s visit to India resulted in 15 outcomes across areas including defence, technology, trade, innovation, skills development and counter‑terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
In the formal readout, Jaiswal said Modi and Stocker reviewed the full spectrum of the bilateral relationship, including trade and investment, technology and innovation, green and clean tech, educational and cultural exchanges, mobility and people‑to‑people ties, and cooperation in multilateral fora.
Jaiswal said both sides identified high‑technology cooperation as a central pillar of the Enhanced India-Austria Partnership.
“The leaders noted that the implementation of the historic India-EU Free Trade Agreement would open significant opportunities in areas of trade, manufacturing, investment and the creation of jobs, especially for the youth,” Jaiswal further said.
Committed to further deepening the Enhanced India-Austria Partnership!
Prime Minister @narendramodi held wide-ranging talks with Federal Chancellor Dr. Christian Stocker @_Cstocker of Austria in Delhi today.
Both leaders reviewed the full spectrum of the bilateral relationship… pic.twitter.com/9rnpsDRMEP
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) April 16, 2026
Stocker is on a four‑day visit to India. Earlier in the day, he laid a wreath at Rajghat in honour of Mahatma Gandhi.
