India, Austria sign migration and mobility agreements

India and Austria signed several agreements, including in the areas of migration and mobility during Indian Minister S Jaishankar's visit to Vienna.

The two nations also signed the Working Holiday Programme agreement.
The Migration and Mobility agreement is the first such agreement reached by Austria with any country with whom they have a visa regime and only the second with a non-OECD country, the Indian Ministry said in a press release.

A Working Holiday Programme agreement "will allow Indians on holiday in Austria to find employment and work without a work permit for up to six months." Other agreements signed between the two nations include the areas of culture and visa-free entry of diplomatic passport holders.

Minister Jaishankar paid an official visit to Austria from December 31 to January 3.

In a joint press briefing with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Jaishankar said, "We have concluded a number of agreements...I think a particularly noteworthy one is the initialising of the Comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement because it will enable demands for skills and talents to be synchronized with their availability."

Notably, as part of his visit to Austria, the Indian Minister also met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi in Vienna on December 3.

They discussed a number of key issues including India-IAEA cooperation, global energy scenario, and the Ukraine conflict. Jaishankar also held talks on issues like India's G20 Presidency, Indo-Pacific, and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. Jaishankar and Grossi discussed further enhancing IAEA's collaboration with India in many areas including combating climate change, medical care and other nuclear applications for societal benefit.

(ANI)