ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Austria have reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, highlighting their mutual support for each other’s candidatures and pledging to collaborate with the international community to further strengthen the UN system.
The consensus was reached during a meeting between Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Federal Chancellor of Austria, Christian Stocker, in the historic Hofburg Palace in Vienna, the Prime Minister’s Office Media Wing said in a statement.
Thereafter, the two leaders held a restricted meeting, followed by delegation-level talks, which included Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Syed Tariq Fatemi, as well as Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch.
“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 said.
They also agreed to work for the early finalisation of MoUs under consideration related to these areas.
Both sides exchanged views on regional and global developments and underscored the central role of the United Nations in addressing challenges related to peace and security, the peaceful resolution of disputes, sustainable development, climate action, and the protection and promotion of human rights.
They reaffirmed their shared commitment to multilateralism and welcomed their mutual support for each other’s candidatures, while pledging to work with the broader international community to strengthen the UN system.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in delegation level talks with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. #PMShehbazInAustria pic.twitter.com/zcZH7FZJ8f
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) February 16, 2026
The Prime Minister and the Federal Chancellor of Austria also jointly presided over a CEOs’ forum comprising leading Austrian and Pakistani companies operating in renewable energy, energy efficiency, industrial manufacturing and construction, information technology, textiles, surgical instruments, leather and sports goods, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, as well as food and agro-industries.
Both sides agreed to enhance government-to-government (G2G), government-to-business (G2B), and business-to-business (B2B) engagement through effective use of existing platforms. The Prime Minister further invited Austrian businesses to participate in the upcoming EU-Pakistan Business Forum scheduled to be held in Islamabad in April this year.
Earlier, the Prime Minister was presented with a guard of honour upon his arrival at the Federal Chancellery. He also inscribed his comments in the Guest Book.
