Image: HANS PUNZ (APA)
“Mr Selmayr was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a meeting with the Secretary General,” said a spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) of the APA on Thursday. Selmayr had described Austria’s payments as “blood money”. The FPÖ even called for Selmayr to be recalled.
“Oh my God, 55 percent of Austrian gas still comes from Russia,” said the EU representative at the panel discussion at the viennacontemporary art fair. Austria is financing Putin’s war in this way and nobody is on the Vienna Ringstrasse to protest against it. “That surprises me, because blood money is sent to Russia every day with the gas bill,” explained Selmayr. He understands the energy problems, but Austria is a rich country and, like other countries, can get by without Russian gas, he explained.
FPÖ outraged by Selmayr’s statements
The FPÖ reacted outraged to Selmayr’s statements. “The minimum is that ÖVP Chancellor Nehammer immediately demands that the Commission dismiss Selmayr!” wrote FPÖ General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz in a broadcast. “In any case, a liberal Chancellor Herbert Kickl would know what to do immediately: “Selmayr could still book the ‘one-way ticket’ to Brussels online today!” Selmayr not only has “no idea about the worries and needs of the the Austrian population, he even taunts them with such statements”. The word “blood money” rather fits “to the billions of euros that are being pumped into Ukraine via the cynical European peace facility to buy weapons,” said the representative of the opposition party Critics attest forces calling for an end to support for Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia to be a “useful idiot” by the aggressor state.
Cited to the Foreign Ministry
A short time later, the Foreign Ministry said that Selmayr would be summoned to the ministry. “This conversation will take place immediately after Selmayr returns to Austria,” said a spokeswoman.
European Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) criticized Selmayr’s statements as “dubious and counterproductive” and “completely one-sided”. “It is unfortunate that even an EU official seems to be unfamiliar with certain facts. While Austria has demonstrably reduced its dependence on Russian gas and taken important precautions to ensure security of supply for the population, the quantities of Russian LNG (liquid gas, Note) – namely by 40% compared to the same period last year,” said Edtstadler.
NEOS, on the other hand, agreed with Selmayr’s criticism: “Austria sponsors Putin’s war every day with its high dependence on Russian gas. That’s a fact that you simply can’t sugarcoat, but that you can also clearly name and criticize,” wrote NEOS -Energy spokeswoman Karin Doppelbauer in a broadcast. This is “a question of security policy, because this high level of dependency makes us vulnerable to blackmail,” said Doppelbauer. An exit would be possible if the government were to oblige gas suppliers by law to phase out Russian gas.
Source: Nachrichten
