For Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), Austria’s accession to NATO is still not a problem. While there is a new quality of cooperation between neutral or non-aligned states such as Austria and the Western Defense Alliance, membership does not represent a “variant way of thinking,” Nehammer formulated on Wednesday on the sidelines of NATO’s Madrid summit. Austria is and remains neutral, but also a reliable partner in the field of security policy.
The chancellor recalled that Austria is already active with about 400 soldiers in EU peacekeeping missions, 300 in such NATO operations and 200 in UN missions. As a neutral country, Austria can also show solidarity or act as a mediator.
“Turning Point” in collaboration
Nehammer interpreted the fact that a “Euro-Atlantic Dinner” initiated by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (Socialists/PSOE) on Wednesday evening, to which representatives of NATO countries and non-aligned EU countries were invited, as a “new quality”. in relations and possibly even “a turning point,” the APA quoted. This is probably also due to the war in Ukraine.
Now that NATO has begun admission procedures for Sweden and Finland in view of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, its planned meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Madrid is of particular importance, Nehammer said. After all, only Austria, Cyprus, Malta and the Republic of Ireland are now non-NATO members in the EU.
Meeting also with Klitschko and Erdogan
The chancellor also met on Wednesday with Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Nehammer wanted to coordinate with Klitschko what help the Ukrainian capital might need from Austria right now. Above all, the delivery of further fire and rescue vehicles needs to be addressed.
Nehammer saw the meeting with Erdogan as the “beginning of a more relaxed relationship” with Turkey’s autocratic president. This could lead to Ankara no longer blocking military cooperation with Austria in the Partnership for Peace (PfP). In concrete terms, however, it is also about promoting the peace process in Istanbul. This is currently the only platform where the warring factions Russia and Ukraine would actually talk to each other.
With Turkey “green corridors” to create
Specifically, the main concern is that “green corridors” for the export of maize, wheat or grain from Ukraine can be created with Turkey’s help. After all, these are amounts of the order of 90 million tons, which are urgently needed in Africa, Nehammer reminded us. Ukraine is poised to clear the port of Odessa from mines to allow for exports. But only if Russia guarantees not to use it to capture the port city on the Black Sea. Turkey, accepted by both sides as a partner, could monitor and implement these security guarantees.
Nehammer said he has spoken with all parties in recent weeks, as have government leaders in France and Germany. These are “pieces of the puzzle for building a dialogue bridge,” as the Chancellor put it. However, he is not so naive or overconfident as to believe that a single exchange of views can solve such a crisis. “But anything is better than doing nothing at all.”
Source: Krone
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