Austria's neutrality: a protective shield or a relic from the past?

Austria's neutrality: a protective shield or a relic from the past?

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - In a heated political exchange of blows, the Foreign Policy Spokeswoman for the FPÖ, NABG. Susanne Fürst, who sharply criticized the statements by Neos Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger on Austrian neutrality. In an interview with the standard, Meinl-Reisinger described the FPÖ's understanding of neutrality as "constitutionally absurd". According to Fürst, this evaluation shows “complete ignorance” about the importance of neutrality for Austria, which is considered to be identity -creating in a recent survey of 82 percent of the population. She argued that the "everlasting neutrality" in combination with solid national defense can offer effective protection against military aggression. This criticism of Meinl-Reisinger comes at the same time, while the EU has decided on an impressive 800 billion euro program for upgrading, which is rejected by the FPÖ as an irresponsible militarization.

political tensions on the test bench

Meinl-Reisinger is accused of moving more in the sense of Brussels more bureaucratic than acting as foreign minister of a neutral country. Fürst questions whether the Foreign Minister really has an eye on Austria's interests, while she turns to responsibility towards the EU and the NATO course. She also criticized the fateful development that neutrality will continue to hollow out under the black-red-pink government, which the FPÖ classified as dangerous. "Austria has always protected Austria and is the reason why we are now accommodating important international organizations," says Fürst, who urgently advises Meinl-Reisinger to try to negotiate peace negotiations instead of supporting the upgrade.

Meinl-Reisinger's direct response shows that it clarifies Austria's position in the context of international politics. "I have confirmed Austria's unreserved commitment to independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," said the minister, which indicates a clear delimitation from the FPÖ's demands. This conflict within the government about neutrality and the armaments issues is a central topic that continues to polarize the political scene in Austria, such as Exxpress.at and