There was a "vibrant and easy" friendship between Ireland and Austria, President Mary McAleese said in Vienna last night.
Speaking at the start of a three day official visit to Austria, she said the two countries enjoyed a "vigorous and dynamic" partnership inside the European Union.
At a reception last night for members of the local Irish community she recalled, "how true a friend Austria was to Ireland at her most difficult times, often providing asylum to those escaping religious and political persecution at home".
Highlighting contemporary links between the two countries through the United Nations and the EU, the President added: "On the same day in 1955 Ireland and Austria both joined the UN and brought to that crucial organisation the voices and the values of two nations whose wisdom and experience had distilled into an abhorrence of war, a deep faith in the protective power of international law and a formidable commitment to the protection of human rights.
"Ireland and Austria have worked closely together on UN peacekeeping operations and have made a significant contribution to the strengthening of international peace and security.
"Membership of the EU has brought our two countries into a vigorous and dynamic partnership as two small but influential member states of the Union.
"We have each taken advantage of our membership of the Union to build strong and resilient economies and to respond to the challenges of globalisation.
"As two smaller countries with a traditional economic dependence on larger neighbours, we have each managed to diversify our markets in recent years and to achieve significant levels of economic growth."
Austria had just made its own "unique contribution" to the Union's future during its six-month term in the EU presidency.
"It was not an easy period for the Union yet the Austrian government faced confidently into the challenges, achieving important breakthroughs."
The President paid tribute to the social and cultural activities of the Austro-Irish Society over the past 30 years.
"Your work keeps us curious about each other and helps ensure that passage of time does not obliterate the many ways in which our two histories and peoples intertwine - from those eighth-century Irish monks like St Colman, who is buried in Melk Abbey not too far from here and St Fergal, who was the Bishop of Salzburg for 40 years, to the 12th-century monastic settlements founded here by Irish Benedictines."
Recalling the Irish who went into exile at a later period in history she said: "The famous names of Count O'Donnell, Count Von Browne and Count De Lacy played critical roles in the service of the Empress Maria Theresa and Irishmen also reached high political office under the Habsburg empire: among them the legendary Count von Taaffe, the distinguished 19th-century prime minister."
Today Mrs McAleese is scheduled to meet Austria's president Heinz Fischer and vice-chancellor Hubert Gorbach.
There are approximately 1,000 Irish citizens resident in Austria, about 500 of them in Vienna which has an active GAA club, the Vienna Gaels.