Austrian Foreign Minister: We have no desire to join NATO

– International News – Tasnim News Agency Quoting from “Kronen Zeitung” newspaper, Alexander Schallenberg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, in an interview once again expressed his country’s neutrality. supported and said: Austria remains neutral, “and with good reasons”. He spoke about his country’s disinterest in joining NATO.

When Schallenberg was asked about Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Schallenberg pointed to the different histories and strong support for his country’s neutrality among the Austrian population.

The countries of Finland and Sweden, after several years of neutrality in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, have requested to join the NATO military alliance and have recently become members of this alliance.

He emphasized: Austria should discuss security and discuss Austria’s participation more within the framework of the European Union. Rejecting any request to discuss joining NATO, the foreign minister said: “I think it is completely wrong to act as if only NATO exists and everyone else is delusional and doesn’t see the facts.” According to him, of course, stronger cooperation with NATO should also be established in Austria’s new security doctrine, which is still being developed. At the same time, referring to Austria’s role as a meeting place for international diplomacy, Schallenberg emphasized that Austria’s neutrality is a value. Schallenberg also defended Austria’s role in supporting Ukraine. In response to a question about the recent statements of French President Emmanuel Macron, who expressed the possibility of sending NATO ground forces to Ukraine, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria said that this discussion is inappropriate and unnecessary. Citing neutrality, he said that Austria would never deliver military equipment, weapons, ammunition or anything similar to Ukraine. Regarding the Russian sanctions, the foreign minister of this country said that considering the current dependence on Russian gas, the facts should be looked at, but at the same time he emphasized the intention to withdraw from this dependence.

He said in another part of his speech. He also severely criticized the positions of the extreme Freedom Party of Austria and said: I find it very unfortunate that in this country we have a really scary party that repeatedly (…) allows itself to be attached to the Russian cart. ” He sometimes feels that the acronym “Friends of Putin in Austria” is appropriate for that party “because they are partly fake news and everything broadcast on Russian channels “

Meanwhile, the members of the European Parliament have criticized the position of the Austrian chancellor. He described the upcoming European elections as “unbelievable”. He said: “The reality shows that the conservatives are working with the extreme right parties at the European Union level.” This leading candidate for the European Parliament elections emphasized: The faction of the European People’s Party (EVP) has moved more and more to the right in the last two years. He accused Austria’s foreign ministry of “whitewashing what concerns Russia” and criticized the fact that even two years after the start of the war, Austria still has no new security strategy and “is still just as dependent on Russian gas as it was before the war.” And “it’s still a real paradise for Russian spies”.

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