The prime minister, who met for 40 minutes with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at the Federal Chancellery here, said the focus of their discussion was on the economy as Malaysia knew Austria had good industrial companies that it could collaborate with.

“Austria is a good market for Malaysian products. We welcome more foreign direct investment from the country,” he told Malaysian and foreign journalists at a joint press conference with Kurz.

He said the volume of trade between the two countries was substantial although not big.

Mahathir noted that Austria was involved in the Langkawi cable car project.

“Hopefully, more Austrian tourists will come to Malaysia. A lot of Malaysians who love music come to Austria,” he said.

Kurz, the youngest head of state in the world at 32, said he was grateful to meet Mahathir, who was the “most experienced and oldest leader in the world”.

“I have much to learn from him. I thanked him for taking the time to meet me.

“We see great potential with Malaysia in the areas of energy and infrastructure. We can also work closer to improve our bilateral and economic relations,” he said.

Later, Mahathir met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen at the Hofburg Palace nearby.