Watch: ‘Vande Mataram’ played as PM Narendra Modi arrives in Austria's Vienna
PM Narendra Modi arrived at the hotel Ritz-Carlton in Vienna and was welcomed by members of the Indian community.
Upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival in Austria's capital, Vienna, on Tuesday following his visit to Russia, ‘Vande Mataram’ was performed. In a video shared by the news agency PTI, PM Modi was observed standing as a group of artists in Vienna sang 'Vande Mataram', accompanied by violinists and guided by the concertmaster.
PM Modi landed in Austria on Tuesday (Austria's local time) and received a warm welcome from Indian Ambassador to Austria Shambhu Kumaran and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. Later,ht new he attended a dinner hosted by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, where he was welcomed by members of the Indian diaspora.
“Welcome to Vienna, PM @narendramodi ! It is a pleasure and honour to welcome you to Austria. Austria and India are friends and partners. I look forward to our political and economic discussions during your visit!,” Karl Nehammer wrote in a post on X while sharing a selfie with PM Modi.
PM Modi thanked Chancellor Nehammer for his warm welcome and affirmed that India and Austria will maintain their collaborative efforts moving forward.
In a post on X, PM Modi said while sharing pictures of him and Nehammer, “Thank you, Chancellor @karlnehammer, for the warm welcome. I look forward to our discussions tomorrow as well. Our nations will continue working together to further global good.”
This is the first time in 41 years that an Indian Prime Minister has visited Austria after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited in 1983.
PM Modi concludes his Russia visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on an official visit to Russia and Austria, concluded a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
During their meeting, PM Modi raised concerns about Indian nationals recruited into the Russian army. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that the Russian government has committed to ensuring the prompt release of these individuals from army service.
PM Modi and Putin have held 16 meetings in the past decade. Their most recent face-to-face encounter occurred during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2022.
During his talks with Putin, PM Modi said, “As a friend, I have always said that peace is of utmost importance for the bright future of our coming generations. But I also know that solutions are not possible on battlegrounds. Amid bombs, guns, and bullets, solutions and peace talks do not succeed. We will have to follow the path to peace only through talks.”
This marks PM Modi's inaugural visit to Russia since the onset of the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv in 2022.
