Austria has come under heavy criticism for issuing visas that will allow sanctioned Russian lawmakers to attend a meeting in Vienna of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The issue highlights the delicate balancing act the European country has engaged in as it tries to maintain its longstanding position of military neutrality during the war in Ukraine. The Austrian government condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago, but also stressed the need to maintain diplomatic relations with Moscow.
Austria is home to several UN agencies and international organizations such as the OSCE, which was established during the Cold War as a forum for East-West dialogue. Russia is one of 57 nations from North America, Europe and Asia participating in the Vienna-based organization.
moscow plans send delegates to the February 23-24 meeting of the OSCE parliamentary assembly, including 15 Russian lawmakers who are under European Union sanctions. Among them are the deputy chairman of the Duma, Piotr Tolstoy, and the member of parliament, Leonid Slutsky.
In a letter to the Austrian chancellor, foreign minister and other officials, 81 OSCE delegates from 20 countries, including France, Canada, Great Britain, Poland and Ukraine, called on the Austrian government to ban the sanctioned Russians from participating.
“It is important to remember that Russian parliamentarians are an integral part of the system of power and complicit in the crimes that Russia commits every day in Ukraine,” the letter, which was seen by The Associated Press, read. “They have no place in an institution charged with promoting sincere dialogue and opposition to war.”
American delegates to the Parliamentary Assembly were not among the signatories to the letter. The US ambassador to the OSCE, Michael Carpenter, told reporters on Friday that the Russian delegates “are not people who deserve to be allowed to travel to Western countries.” However, he added that “It is up to the Austrian government to determine if they are going to grant visas or not.”
Austrian officials have not commented on the letter. On February 5, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg defended Austria’s decision to allow the sanctioned Russians into the country, arguing that it was It is important to keep communication channels with Moscow open despite the “brutal Russian attack on Ukraine”.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry also insisted that, as the host of the OSCE headquarters in Vienna, it is legally obliged to grant visas to representatives of participating nations who want to participate in meetings there.
Austria, which became a member of the European Union in 1995, has criticized Moscow and joined the EU’s sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. But unlike Finland and Sweden, which decided to abandon their neutral stances in May by applying to join NATO, Austria remains committed to the military neutrality it adopted in 1955.
The Austrian government has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but no weapons. Foreign Minister Karl Nehammer became the first and so far only EU leader to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face after the war started. Nehammer traveled to Moscow in April 2022 in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Russian leader to end the invasion.
Support remains strong for Austrian neutrality among the public and the political establishment.
“I think that Austrian neutrality can still play a positive role today,” says Ralph Janik, an international law expert and researcher at the private Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. “The alternative would be to join NATO, but all Austrian politicians are well aware that this is not supported by the majority of the Austrian public.”
Austria, which was annexed by Nazi Germany in the run-up to World War II, declared neutrality after the war under pressure from the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. He sought a role as a mediator between East and West and developed ties with Moscow during and after the Cold War.
In 1968, Austria became the first Western European country to import gas from the Soviet Union, and its reliance on Russian energy increased in the decades that followed. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 80% of Austria’s natural gas came from Russia. Since then, it has reduced the stake to just over 20% by turning to Norwegian gas, according to the Austrian electricity and gas regulator.
The Austrian banking system is also closely related to Russia. Austria’s second-largest bank, Raiffeisenbank International, made more than half of its 2022 profits from Russia. The bank has been under intense pressure to continue its business in Russia despite Moscow’s war on Ukraine, and is currently evaluating strategic options, including an exit from Russia.
Vienna is also known for being a playground for spies, including from Russia, due to its lenient espionage laws. Despite his initial reluctance, Austria has expelled eight Russian diplomats believed to have been involved in espionage since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
While there are no signs of a move away from Austrian neutrality, some have called for the policy to be reassessed after the Ukraine war.
Werner Fasslabend, a former Austrian defense minister from the conservative People’s Party, is one of the few prominent voices arguing for the country to renounce neutrality and join NATO. With the end of the Cold War and Austria’s accession to the EU, Austrian neutrality has “lost its function,” said Fasslabend, director of the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy.
As a NATO member, Austria “would be in a better position to shape European security policy and gain greater security,” he added, admitting that was unlikely to happen given that it would require changing the constitution by a two-thirds majority. in the Austrian parliament.
“This majority is not in sight,” Fasslabend said.
(with information from AP)
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Source-www.infobae.com