After the partly nationalist Erdogan victory celebration in Vienna, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) called on re-elected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to “respect the host country”.
“It is a matter of decency and mutual respect, and that is what I demanded from the Turks living in Austria. And Erdogan has a certain influence there,” Nehammer said after the Moldovan summit on Thursday. During the talks, Erdogan invited him to visit Turkey as soon as possible, the chancellor said, an appointment should now be set.
“Restore relations with Türkiye”
The telephone conversation took place in the margins of the meeting of the European Political Community in Moldova. Erdogan was invited to the European summit, but did not come. The opportunity for the talk came after Erdogan’s re-election, according to Nehammer, “so that we can restore relations between Austria and Turkey”. Since the grain deal for Ukraine, he and Erdogan “have developed a very solid relationship over the months of the war,” the chancellor said.
The call also provided an opportunity “to point out that when Turkish citizens celebrate in the streets of Austria, respect for the host country must not be lost”. In the phone call, he described both himself and Erdogan as “patriots,” but distinguished this from nationalism and hatred of others, Nehammer said. With his election victory, the Turkish president explained the exuberance of the celebrations, but also stressed that there are no problems that cannot be solved.
Wolf salutation pointers to be continued
Regarding the violations at the celebration in Vienna-Favoriten, Nehammer said: “As a former interior minister, I take this very seriously. Anyone who violates Austrian laws must also consider the consequences of the rule of law. Anyone who has the wolf salute shown and identified will be reported accordingly and prosecuted by the authorities.
There is also ongoing surveillance of the scene by the Ministry of the Interior and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. However, one should not conclude from individual provocateurs and lawbreakers about the Turkish minority in Austria and tar everyone with the same brush, said the ÖVP boss.
Another topic of discussion was Turkey’s role as a security partner in migration. “We continue to rely on negotiations with Erdogan on an equal footing,” Nehammer said. During the election campaign, Erdogan’s political opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu threatened more than Erdogan to send irregular migrants to Europe.
Chancellor campaigns for EU support for Türkiye
Turkey also needs support to care for and house the country’s 2.6 million refugees, Nehammer said. Erdogan is also concerned about expanding economic and trade relations and the customs union with the EU.
Regarding allegations of pushbacks at the EU’s external border between Greece and Turkey, the chancellor said: “The pushback in itself is not illegal. If an irregular migrant crosses the border and does not apply for asylum, each country has the right to close its border. protect and bring back those who have crossed the border illegally.”
Austria is committed to ensuring that asylum procedures are carried out in third countries “so that the pressure at the European external border is reduced”. That would destroy the smugglers’ business model.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
