Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM), visited the Republic of Cyprus from December 29 – 31, 2022 and the Republic of Austria from December 31, 2022 -January 3, 2023.
EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar’s visit to the Republic of Cyprus – December 29-31, 2022
EAM Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar made his maiden visit to the Republic of Cyprus on December 29 – 31, 2022.
- The year 2022 commemorated the 60th anniversary of India-Cyprus diplomatic ties, which were established on February 10, 1962.
Notable Events
i.In Cyprus, EAM met with H.E. Ms. Annita Demetriou, President of the House of Representatives and acting President, laid a wreath at the Mahatma Gandhi bust next to the Parliament.
ii.H.E. Ms. Annita Demetriou presented a set of commemorative stamps issued by Cyprus Post to mark 75 years of India’s independence and 60 years of diplomatic relations.
iii.EAM also met with his Cypriot counterpart, H.E. Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides.
India & Cyprus Sign Agreement On Defence and Military Cooperation
During his visit to Cyprus, EAM witnessed the signing of agreements in a number of fields, including Defence and Military Cooperation between India & Cyprus.
i.A Letter of Intent on Migration and Mobility Partnership was also signed by India and Cyprus.
- This agreement sets forth a common framework for agreements and cooperation to facilitate the mobility of students, academics, business people, and professionals.
- The agreement will address issues relating to irregular migration as well.
ii.As a notable achievement, Cyprus became the 111th country to sign the Framework Agreement of the India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA), as well as the 92nd full-member country to join the ISA.
India – Cyprus Relationship
i.In June 2021, India reclassified the Republic of Cyprus as a Category I Foreign Portfolio Investor in India.
ii.Other than Mauritius and the UAE, Cyprus is the third non- Financial Action Task Force (FATF) nation to receive this exemption.
iii.A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in December 2021 between Invest India and Invest Cyprus with the aim of promoting overall business relations and enhancing their mutual investment activities.
EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar’s visit to the Republic of Austria – December 31, 2022 -January 3, 2023
Dr. S. Jaishankar, EAM of India, made an official visit to the Republic of Austria from December 31, 2022 to January 3, 2023. It was his first visit to Austria as India’s EAM, and the first such visit from India in 27 years.
- The visit commemorated the 75 years of India’s diplomatic ties with Austria, which were established in 1949.
Notable Events
i.During the visit, EAM had meetings with the Austrian President H.E. Mr. Alexander van der Bellen and the Austrian Parliament Speaker H.E. Mr. Wolfgang Sobotka.
ii.EAM met with the Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, H.E. Alexander Schallenberg, and Austrian Chancellor, H.E. Mr. Karl Nehammer.
- On the official invitation of Alexander Schallenberg, EAM attended the iconic Austrian New Year’s concert.
India & Austria Sign Agreements On Migration and Mobility, Working Holiday Programme
During EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar’s visit to Vienna, Austria, India and Austria signed a number of agreements, including ones pertaining to mobility and migration and the Working Holiday Programme.
Key Highlights
i.The Migration and Mobility Agreement is Austria’s first such agreement with any country with which it has a visa regime.
- The Migration and Mobility Agreement is also Austria’s second such agreement with a non- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country.
ii.The Working Holiday Program agreement allows Indians on vacation in Austria to find employment and work without a work permit for up to six months.
iii.India & Austria countries also signed agreements regarding cultural and visa-free entry for people with diplomatic passports.
Other Significant Meetings Occurred On the Sidelines
i.In Vienna, EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar also met Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria.
ii.For the first time, EAM also convened a joint Slavkov format meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg; the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavsky and Slovakia, Rastislav Kacer.
- The four foreign ministers discussed the Ukraine conflict, their respective neighbourhoods, and India-European Union (EU) relations.
iii.He also met with Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and discussed ways to strengthen the IAEA’s relationship with India.
Recent Related News:
i.In November 2022 India participated in the 22nd Council of Ministers meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA-COM), which was held at Dhaka in Bangladesh. The 22nd IORA Council of Ministers (COM) was hosted by the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, current chair of IORA.
ii.The Indian delegation was led by the Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
About International Solar Alliance (ISA):
Director General– Ajay Mathur
Established – 2015
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
