Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has surprised the Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker with his command of the German language, which he spoke during the delegation-level talks between the two leaders.

During his two-day official visit to Austria — the first by a Pakistani Prime Minister in over three decades — the prime minister addressed the Chancellor in German to express gratitude for the warm hospitality and optimism for deeper bilateral cooperation in the years ahead.

“Mr Chancellor, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your very warm welcome today, and I look forward to continuing cooperation in the coming years,” the prime minister said in German, the national language of Austria.

German Chancellor also shared a video clip highlighting the moment with the caption, “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif surprised everyone with his German language proficiency.”

This is not the first time that Prime Minister Shehbaz has demonstrated his multilingual abilities on the international stage.

He has previously spoken German, Persian, Russian, and Arabic during various engagements.