President Mary McAleese has met Austrian president Heinz Fischer on the second day of her three-day visit to Austria.
Austria's President Heinz Fischer (right) and his wife Margit welcome President McAleese and her husband Martin at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna today. Photo: Reuters/Herwig Prammer
Mrs McAleese and her husband, Dr Martin McAleese, were welcomed at the Hofburg Palace in the Austrian capital Vienna by Mr Fischer and his wife Margit this morning.
Mrs McAleese will also meet Austria's vice-chancellor Hubert Gorbach today.
Yesterday, Mrs McAleese attended a reception for members of the local Irish community, where she noted the "vigorous and dynamic" partnership enjoyed by Ireland and Austria within the European union.
She also said the two countries had worked closely together on UN peacekeeping operations and had made a significant contribution to the strengthening of international peace and security.
There are approximately 1,000 Irish citizens resident in Austria, about 500 of them in Vienna.