What’s in the news?

• After an ‘explosion’ of asylum seekers, Austria and India have signed a comprehensive migration and mobility partnership agreement that will facilitate the return of illegal migrants back to their country.
• The agreement was initialled by the Austrian foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg and Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar in Vienna.
• The Austrian minister stated that the view was that migration should be controlled by states and not by human traffickers.
• While India has been keen to finalise these agreements with European countries as a stepping stone to resolving issues over the long-pending India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement and facilitating Indian professionals working in these countries, the European countries also see them as a way to curb illegal immigration from India.
• In addition, the agreement will regulate multiple entry visas for professionals and student exchange programmes, and will be reviewed regularly by a Joint Working Group (JWG).

https://thewire.in/diplomacy/austria-inks-pact-with-india-to-return-illegal-migrants