He also dwelt on India being a “Vishwabandhu” and contributing to global progress and well-being. He urged the community to continue nurturing their cultural and emotional bonds with the motherland, even as they prosper in their new homeland.In his address, Modi also shared his thoughts on the contribution made by the Indian Diaspora to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. He stated that his visit to the country at a time when the two friendly nations were celebrating 75 years of diplomatic ties, made it truly special. Recalling the shared democratic values and pluralistic ethos of the two countries, Modi underlined the expanse, scale and success of recent Indian elections, where the people of India voted for continuity, giving him the mandate for a historic third term.Austria is home to about 31,000 Indian diaspora, which mainly consists of professionals working in the health-care and other sectors and in multilateral UN bodies. There are around 500 Indian students pursuing higher education there.The PM said that geographically, India and Austria are at two different ends, but there are many similarities. “Democracy connects the two countries. Liberty, Equality, Pluralism and respect for the rule of law are our shared values. Both our societies are multi-cultural and multilingual. In both the countries, in our society, it is the habit of both of us to celebrate diversity. And a major medium to reflect these values is elections. Elections are going to be held in Austria in a few months. Whereas in India we have just celebrated the festival of democracy with great pomp and show,” he said.Modi returned to New Delhi on Thursday morning after a two-nation visit to Russia and Austria.
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