ISLAMABAD: Paki­stan and Austria on Monday agreed to further cement bilateral ties in the fields of economic cooperation, trade and investment, tourism, hospitality, education, IT, healthcare, and human resource development and mobility.

The commitments came as Prime Minister Sheh­baz Sharif met Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in Vienna.

Speaking at an event lat­er in the day, PM Sheh­baz also said that Pakistan was working with Europe to curb illegal immigration.

Earlier, the PM arrived in Vienna on a two-day visit, with the Foreign Office noting that it marked the first visit by a Pakistani prime minister to Austria since 1992.

PM Shehbaz and Stocker held a “restricted meeting” at the Federal Chancellery on Monday, followed by delegation-level talks, according to an official statement issued by the PM Office.

“Both leaders recalled the friendly and historic ties between the two countries and committed to work together more closely to further strengthen the bilateral relationship in diverse fields, including economic cooperation, trade and investment, tourism, hospitality, education, IT, healthcare, and human resource development and mobility,” the statement read.

“To this end, they agr­eed to work for the early finalisation of MoUs (me­m­o­r­andums of understanding) under consideration related to these areas.”

PM Shehbaz and the chancellor also “exch­anged views on regional and global developments, and agreed on the central role of the United Nations in addressing the challenges of peace and security, peaceful settlement of disputes, sustainable development, climate action, and the protection and promotion of human rights”. PM Shehbaz thanked Stocker for the “meaningful and productive meetings” during the visit, which he said would lend fresh impetus to bilateral ties. He also extended an invitation to the chancellor to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience.

‘Illegal immigration’

Separately, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan was working with European partners to “jointly ban” illegal immigration.

Addressing the Pakis­tan-Austria High-Level Business Roundtable in Vienna, he said Pakistan was “absolutely” against illegal immigration and was “working with our Eu­­ropean friends — Austria, France and Germany — to jointly ban this illegal immigration [and bring it] to a grinding halt”. He assured Austria that Pakistan would fulfil its “demand for skilled labo­­ur” as per the internatio­nal certification required by it.

Every year, many young Pakistanis leave the country via illegal routes in hopes of better employment opportunities.

At the outset of his address, the premier stressed that Pakistan and Austria shared “long-standing friendly relations”.

The premier outlined the areas in which the two countries remained “proactively engaged”, including mining and minerals and renewable energy. He said he held meetings with the Austrian leadership and aimed “to take many of these discussions to their logical conclusion”.

He noted that 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population was young and “needed modern training in their hands, including laptops, AI and IT-led initiatives”.

PM Shehbaz highlighted that Pakistan had “huge potential” in the field of agriculture.

“Here, Austria can be a great partner, providing Pakistan with experience and modern technology to add value in the field of citrus root, and to make marmalade and juices and export them to Austria, the Middle East and other parts of the world,” the premier added.

According to the statement, the premier and the Austrian chancellor co-chaired a meeting of chief executive officers from leading Austrian and Pakistani companies working in a wide range of areas.

“It was agreed to expand G2G (government-to-government), G2B (government-to-business) and B2B (business-to-business) engag­ements between the two countries through the effective utilisation of existing platforms,” the statement read.

The prime minister invited Austrian businesses and companies to participate in the upcoming EU-Pakistan Business Forum to be held in Islamabad in April this year. PM Shehbaz and Austrian Federal Economic Chamber Vice President Carmen Goby also witnessed the signing ceremony of an MoU between Pakistani and Austrian companies.

In a post on X later, PM Shehbaz stressed that his visit “carries special significance as we are having a high-level visit after more than three decades”. “It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Pakistan–Austria diplomatic relations,” he noted.

The premier also penned his remarks in the guest book at the Chancellery.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026