New Delhi: The External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the Republic of Cyprus and Austria from December 29 to January 3, 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.
The official statement said that the first leg of the visit will start in Cyprus, where Jaishankar will meet his Cypriot counterpart, Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs and also call on Annita Demetriou, President of the House of Representatives.
He will address the business and investment community of the country and will also interact with the Indian diaspora. This year also marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Cyprus.
During the second leg of the visit, the external affairs minister (EAM) will travel to Austria, where he will meet the Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg, the statement said.
This will be the first EAM-level visit from India to Austria in the last 27 years and it takes place against the backdrop of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2023.
Minister Schallenberg visited India in March this year and aside from this, the two ministers have met thrice this year during international gatherings in Munich, Bratislava and New York.
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During his visit, Jaishankar will call on the Austrian Chancellor, Karl Nehammer. He will also meet with Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
EAM will also meet the Foreign Ministers of Czech Republic, Jan Lipavský; Slovak Republic, Rastislav Káčer, along with Austrian Federal Minister Schallenberg in the Slavkov format.
The statement added that the discussions are expected to be focused on regional and global issues.