Alexander Schallenberg, Austria's foreign minister, arrived in India on Saturday to begin his first official visit to the country. Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), tweeted, "We welcome Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg as he begins his first official visit to India."

The journey to India by Schallenberg takes place in the midst of the Ukraine conflict. On Friday, India and Austria held the sixth round of virtual Foreign Office Consultations, during which they reviewed various facets of bilateral relations, including political, economic, commercial, cultural, and intellectual links.

According to the MEA, the Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary Dammu Ravi, and the Austrian delegation was led by Ambassador Gregor Koessler, Director General for Political Affairs in the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. "India and Austria maintain friendly relations founded on common ideals of democracy, liberty, the rule of law, and equality. Strong relationships across institutions, academia, culture, and people-to-people ties characterise our bilateral relations "In a statement, the MEA stated.

According to the ministry, the talks covered the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including political, economic, and commercial relationships, as well as cultural and academic ties. The two sides also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery, including vaccines, according to the statement. Among the topics discussed were changes in the Indo-Pacific, neighbourhood policy, terrorism, and India-EU relations, to name a few.

Australia Govt announces more funding for flood-hit communities

Australian PM Scott Morrison urged to cut fuel tax

Australia sanctions North Korean firm involved in development of weapons