Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner and Minister of Economic Affairs Martin Kocher (all ÖVP) will travel to the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday evening. They will be accompanied by a high-level delegation of Austrian companies, WKÖ Secretary General Karlheinz Kopf and IV President Georg Knill.
On Tuesday afternoon, Nehammer will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace. In addition, the Chancellor will participate in the Economic Forum, visit the Anıtkabir National Monument and meet Turkey’s Chairman of the Grand National Assembly, Numan Kurtulmuş. Karner and Kocher meet their Turkish counterparts Ali Yerlikaya and Mehmet Fatih Kacı.
The business delegation (Post, Magnesita, Andritz, Pessl Instruments, Zeman, Global Hydro, Doppelmayer) will exchange ideas with Turkish chambers of commerce and companies, among others. Potential investment opportunities should be explored and trade relations expanded. Turkey is an important trading partner for Kocher. Last year alone, exports of goods to the country increased by 21 percent.
Nehammer wants to cooperate with border control
During the trip the focus will also be on migration. According to a statement from the Federal Chancellery, this includes closer cooperation in the fight against illegal migration, especially in the areas of border protection, taking action against smugglers and accelerating returns. “We need closer cooperation in the fight against illegal migration, to combat smuggling and to provide assistance on the ground. “I will therefore also campaign for the continuation of the EU-Turkey deal at EU level,” Nehammer said.
The war in Ukraine and the Hamas attack on Israel will probably also be discussed. NGOs called on government members in a broadcast on Monday to tackle alarming human rights violations in Turkey. “(…) The continued suppression of freedom of expression, unlawful arrests and violence against peaceful demonstrators and attacks on minorities are unacceptable. It is high time that Nehammer shows courage and takes a clear stand on human rights violations in Turkey,” said Shoura Hashemi, Director General of Amnesty International Austria.
4,500 asylum applications from Turkey this year
This year, 4,500 people from Turkey have already applied for asylum, which is a warning sign, said Lukas Gahleitner-Gertz, spokesperson for Asylum Coordination Austria. In September, every fifth asylum application in Austria was made by someone from Turkey.
Source: Krone
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