Europe should “keep a sense of proportion” when dealing with Russia, Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (VP) criticized on Monday for Russia’s invitation to an OSCE meeting in Poland. The OSCE is “one of the few remaining platforms” on which one can still reach Russian diplomats. He was “sorry to hear such voices,” said Poland’s President Andrzej Duda yesterday. “If we consider that this is being said by a European politician, then I undoubtedly see it as a breakdown in European unity.”
Schallenberg is one of those people who are ready “to do business regardless of the blood shed”. Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski had previously voiced severe criticism. Schallenberg’s statements are “completely incomprehensible” and “absurd”. They would show that “a pro-Russian attitude is still very strong in many countries in Europe and extends to the highest levels of government”.
However, Schallenberg’s appeal fits into the “bad tradition of the Austrian Foreign Ministry,” said Jablonski, referring to former Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl and her dance with Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin at her wedding, as well as her later professional activity at Russian companies. Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller underlined yesterday that Poland would maintain its stance on sanctions against Russia. Only a “consistent Western policy” could force Moscow to change course.
In the Ukraine, too, Schallenberg’s statements met with little understanding. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Schallenberg to the city of Dnipro. There he could present his arguments to the relatives of the 44 victims of the Russian rocket attack, said spokesman Oleh Nikolenko.
return
Romania’s Ambassador to Austria, Emil Hurezeanu, returns to his post in Vienna. He was ordered back to Bucharest after Austria vetoed Romania’s accession to the Schengen in December of the previous year. According to the Romanian Presidential Office, the gesture is intended to signal “openness” to Austria.
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