ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday invited Austrian companies to partner with Pakistani firms in citrus value-addition, mining and renewable energy sectors, saying their world-class expertise could help accelerate Pakistan’s growth.

Sharif said this while speaking at the Pakistan-Austria Business Forum during his two-day official visit to the European country, the first by any Pakistani premier in more than 30 years, according to the Pakistani foreign office.

The visit is focused on trade, investment and economic cooperation, and would involve productive interactions with the International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, and the UN Industrial Development Organization.

Speaking at the business forum in Vienna, Sharif said Pakistan is an agrarian economy and nearly 60 percent of its population resides in rural areas, with its hardworking farmers adding to the country's huge potential in agriculture.

"Austria can be a great partner providing Pakistan with experience, with modern technology to have value addition in the field of citrus fruit and make marmalade, juices and export them to Austria, to Middle East, other parts of the world," he said.

"Secondly, in mines and minerals, again Austria can become a great partner. Pakistan has vast resources of minerals and of course very rare minerals in the province of KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan and Azad Kashmir."

Sharif's visit comes at a time when Pakistan is treading a long path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout and seeks to boost trade and foreign investment to consolidate economic gains Islamabad has made in recent years.

Besides agriculture, PM Sharif invited Austrian companies to participate in renewable energy and grid modernization projects in Pakistan.

"Austria with its world-class expertise in engineering, renewable energy, environmental technology, advanced manufacturing [is well positioned] to benefit Pakistan’s growth trajectory," he said.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, SKILLED LABOR

Sharif also addressed the issue of illegal immigration of citizens from Pakistan, among other countries, to Europe and said his government was working end the practice and instead offer trained, skilled human resource to European nations, with international certifications.

Thousands of citizens from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and other countries embark on perilous journeys each year attempting to enter Europe illegally in search of a better life.

In Dec., Pakistan's interior ministry said it had achieved a 47 percent drop in illegal immigration to Europe in 2025, with more than 1,700 human smugglers arrested as part of an expanded nationwide crackdown.

"I am absolutely against illegal immigration and we are working with our European friends, countries like Austria, Germany, France and other countries, to jointly bring this illegal immigration to a grinding halt," Sharif said.

"In return, your demand for trained labor, skilled labor, we are going to fulfill that demand with international certification to your requirement and your satisfaction."

The Pakistan premier said he looked forward to the participation of Austrian companies in the European Union-Pakistan Business Forum at the end of April in Islamabad.