Vienna's Foreign and Bilateral Relations
Read the latest headlines about bilateral relations in the areas of economy, business, diplomacy, culture and tourism between Austria and its partners
American Christmas Gospel in the Viennese Karlskirche
What would the Advent season be without music? Until Christmas there is still the possibility to enjoy a special listening pleasure. In the Karlskirche, gospel music is performed that is otherwise only celebrated in masses in the USA. The feeling of Harlem, St. Louis and Jersey fascinates every spectator and is a musical feast for the ears, which, in addition to the smell of gingerbread and the pleasure of punch, creates a Christmas mood of a special kind.
December 14, 2018 · Sponsored Content
Three Americans in Vienna: Model - Arbus - Goldin
Three great American photographers, Lisette Model, Diane Arbus and Nan Goldin whose images radically expanded contemporary perspectives on society, are the theme of an exhibition at the Galerie Westlicht.
December 14, 2018
Leonard Bernstein - "I am enjoying Vienna enormously - as much as a Jew can"
An exhibition in the Jewish Museum Vienna to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the star conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein focuses on the New Yorker’s relationship with the music city of Vienna, looks at the great artist’s Jewish roots, and also pays homage to his political activities.
December 14, 2018
Austria's Foreign Trade on the Upswing
According to preliminary statistics, the total nominal value of imports of goods in the period January to September 2018 was 5.2% higher than in the previous year at 115.23 billion euros, while exports of goods rose by 6.0% to 111.55 billion euros. The trade balance deficit amounted to 3.68 billion euros after 4.27 billion euros in the same period of the previous year.
December 14, 2018
Austria to Open Embassy in Oman in 2019
Next year, the Austrian Foreign Ministry plans to reopen the Embassy in Muscat, the capital and largest city of Oman, which was closed for budget reasons in 2012.
December 13, 2018
Meet the Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia to Austria: H.E. Ms. Youngor Sevelee Telewoda
The new Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia to Austria, H.E. Ms. Youngor Sevelee Telewoda presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with his letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.
December 11, 2018
Meet the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Lesotho to Austria: H.E. Mr. Retselisitsoe Calvin Masenyetse
The new Ambassador of the Kingdom of Lesotho to Austria, H.E. Mr. Retselisitsoe Calvin Masenyetse presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with his letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.
December 10, 2018
Meet the Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to Austria: H.E. Mr. Ramses Joseph Cleland
The new Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to Austria, H.E. Mr. Ramses Joseph Cleland presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with his letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.
December 10, 2018
Meet the Ambassador of the Togolese Republic to Austria: H.E. Mr. Komi Bayédzè Dagoh
The new Ambassador of the Togolese Republic (Togo) to Austria, H.E. Mr. Komi Bayédzè Dagoh presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with his letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.
December 10, 2018
Meet the Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala to Austria: H.E. Mr. Manuel Estuardo Roldán Barillas
The new Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala to Austria: H.E. Mr. Manuel Estuardo Roldán Barillas presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with his letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.
December 10, 2018
Meet the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Austria: H.E. Mr. Donatas Kušlys
The new Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Austria, H.E. Mr. Donatas Kušlys presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with his letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.
December 10, 2018
Meet the New Ambassador of Georgia to Austria and to the United Nations in Vienna: H.E. Mr. David Dondua
The new Ambassador of Georgia to Austria and to the United Nations in Vienna, H.E. Mr. David Dondua presented the United Nations Office at Vienna's Director-General Yury Fedotov with his letter of accreditation. On 7 December 2018, he presented Federal President Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen at the Presidential Chancellery with his letter of credentials.
November 15, 2018 · Updated: December 10, 2018; 19:14
Meet the New Ambassador of Brazil to Austria: H.E. Mr. José Antônio Marcondes de Carvalho
The new Ambassador of Brazil to Austria and to the International Organizations in Vienna, H.E. Mr. José Antônio Marcondes de Carvalho presented his credentials to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Yury Fedotov and to the Director General of UNIDO, Li Yong. On 7 December 2018, he presented Federal President Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen at the Presidential Chancellery with his letter of credentials.
November 30, 2018 · Updated: December 10, 2018; 13:10
Soros University Leaves Budapest in Favor of Vienna
In Hungary, the Central European University (CEU) has faced massive hostility. As a consequence, the location will be relocated to Vienna. Michael Ignatieff, the rector of CEU, announced this week in Budapest that the university is finally moving: "This is a dark day for freedom in Hungary, and it's a dark day for academic freedom." In Vienna, negotiations are still underway on a suitable building for interim use from 2019. By 2023, the university is to move permanently to the grounds of the Otto Wagner Hospital.
December 6, 2018
Pandas of Schönbrunn Zoo Vienna on their Journey to Sichuan, China
The two-year-old panda twins Fu Feng and Fu Ban, born in Vienna, relocated to Sichuan Province in China in transport boxes and by airplane as originally planned.
December 6, 2018
Bratislava - Vienna Railway Line Extended
The two EU capitals Vienna and Bratislava are approaching each other. After a construction period of about two years, representatives of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), the EU, the City of Vienna and the Province of Lower Austria opened the first part, the so-called "Vienna section" of the Vienna - Bratislava line extension. The completion of the second part, the so-called "Lower Austrian Section", will last until 2023. The journey time from the main railway station in Vienna (Hauptbahnhof-Wien) to the main railway station in Bratislava (Bratislava hlavná stanica) will be reduced from 66 minutes to 40 minutes.
December 5, 2018
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden Visits IAEA Laboratories in Seibersdorf
Her Royal Highness Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden visited the laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Seibersdorf, Austria to understand how nuclear techniques help IAEA Member States with food and agriculture, human health, industrial applications and the environment.
December 4, 2018
Opening of Austrian Cultural Forum Sarajevo - Strengthening of Cultural Ties
104 years after the murder of the archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo, Austria opens the 30th Austrian Cultural Forum in the Bosnian capital. The Cultural Forum (Österreichisches Kulturforum Sarajewo / Austrijski kulturni forum Sarajevo) is part of the network of the Foreign Ministry. The aim is to strengthen the cultural links between South Eastern Europe and Austria.
December 4, 2018
Meet the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Austria: H.E. Mr. Kairat Sarybay
H.E. Mr. Kairat Sarybay is the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Austria, Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia and the Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna.
November 30, 2018
What Does Austria Have to Do with the Silk Road Project?
The Chinese "One Belt One Road Initiative", also known as the New Silk Road, is China's strategic measure of the century to make the entire Euro-Asian region including Africa even more dependent on its products and investments. Now the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), the Vienna Chamber of Commerce and the ambassadors from China and Kazakhstan have joined forces to convince the Austrian population and politicians that the connection of Austria via broad-gauge railway to the Silk Road is an opportunity of the century.
November 30, 2018
What Brexit Means for Austrian Federal Provinces
The economic links between the Austrian provinces and the United Kingdom show that the withdrawal will not only be disadvantageous for the UK, but will also leave its mark on Austria's economy. According to a chart of the Thinktank Agenda Austria, the Austrian federal states whose exports will be hardest hit by the UK's departure are Upper Austria and Styria.
November 29, 2018
Albania and OSCE Establish Cooperation in the Field of Freedom of the Media
The Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama and the Vienna based OSCE have agreed on a new co-operation on anti-defamation package and rules for online media to ensure that future legislation is supportive of freedom of expression, media freedom and access to Internet.
November 29, 2018
Reinsurer VIG Re to Expand to Paris
After opening an office in Frankfurt a year ago, another West European representative office is now to follow in Paris. The new branch will be headed by Patrick Chevrel. As part of the Vienna Insurance Group, VIG Re has been founded in 2008 by being established as a core player in the reinsurance market in Austria and CEE, and now also in certain West European countries.
November 26, 2018
19th Century Japan - Place of Western Longing and Enthusiasm
The exhibition "Fascination Japan" of the Kunstforum is dedicated to "Japomania" - the Western world's enthusiasm for the aesthetics and imagery of the Far East. It traces the development from the fascination for the exotic, the novel, from the beginnings in the 1860s until well after the turn of the century, to its amalgamation into the formal vocabulary of Western painting, the influence of its aesthetics on the development of modernism around 1900.
November 5, 2018 · Updated: November 23, 2018; 17:00
Sebastian Kurz: EU and Switzerland to Intensify Relations Further
Federal Chancellor Kurz held a working meeting with Swiss President Alain Berset in Bern. The meeting focused on, among other topics, an assessment of Brexit, the Western Balkans, the nuclear agreement with Iran, relations with Russia and the priorities of the Austrian EU Presidency.
November 22, 2018
First BMW Z4 'Made in Austria' Has just Rolled off the Production Line
The new BMW Z4 has been rolling off Magna Steyr's production line for a few days now. The sporty roadster is produced exclusively in Austria for the entire world market. The BMW Z4 is - besides the BMW 5 Series - already the second BMW car that is currently produced in Austria. This emphasizes and strengthens the BMW Group's commitment to Austria as a business location.
November 22, 2018
Anti-Semitism Conference in Vienna - Austria to Win Israel's Favor
A high-ranking conference against antisemitism with the motto "Europe beyond Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism - Securing Jewish Life in Europe" took place in Vienna. Participants included Ariel Muzicant, Vice-President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), Education Minister Heinz Faßmann, EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, EPP Group Leader Manfred Weber, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Anatoliyovych Klimkin and Chancellor Kurz. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had had to cancel his participation at short notice because of the government crisis in his home country. Likewise not a single official representative of the Austrian Freedom Party was present.
November 22, 2018
The OPEC Fund OFID Has A New Director-General
Saudi Arabian national Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa has taken over the post of Director-General of the OFID (OPEC Fund for International Development) from his predecessor Suleiman J Al-Herbish at the former Palais Deutschmeister at Vienna's Parkring 8. His task is to implement OFID's objective, which is to reinforce financial cooperation between OPEC Member Countries and other developing countries, by providing financial support to the latter for their socioeconomic development.
November 22, 2018
Russia on the World Stage - Andrej Kolesnikov and Nina Khrushcheva at the Kreisky Forum
Professor Nina Khrushcheva interviewed Russian journalist Andrej Kolesnikov about the current situation and prospects in Russia.
November 22, 2018
Foreign Minister's Liechtenstein Visit Strengthens Bilateral Relations
Karin Kneissl travelled to Vaduz for a working discussion with her counterpart from Liechtenstein, Aurelia Frick to discuss current developments such as the most recent status of the Brexit negotiations and the cooperation in multilateral matters.
November 22, 2018
American International School Vienna: "The United Nations is rather similar to the AIS"
Students and nursery-school children came together at the AIS American International School for the celebration of the UN Day.
November 15, 2018
Naturalizations in Austria in 2018 on the Rise
Austrian citizenship was granted to a total of 6,971 persons in the first three quarters of 2018. The Bosnians are ahead, followed by Turks, Serbs and Kosovars. In total, there were 115 more naturalisations than in the same period of the previous year (+1.7%).
November 15, 2018
80 Years of November Pogrom - Remembrance at the Site of the Former Leopoldstadt Temple, at Judenplatz near the Shoah Memorial and in Parliament
Austria commemorated the events 80 years ago. Austrian Shoah survivors from Israel received in Parliament at the Hofburg. President of the National Council Sobotka asked Austrian Shoah survivors for forgiveness. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen already reminded the day before at a commemoration ceremony of the November pogroms at the Psychosocial Centre of the Vienna Israelite Community. On the commemoration day he laid a wreath at the Shoah memorial on Judenplatz.
November 9, 2018
Erection of the Vienna Shoah Memorial Wall about to Begin
The long-planned project of a name memorial wall for the 66,000 Jews murdered in Austria during National Socialism is about to be realized. Kurt Tutter, initiator of the name wall, explained the significance of the new memorial, which will be erected in Ostarrichi Park. For him, it was a matter of commemorating his family as well as families unknown to him who had been completely wiped out by Nazi crimes.
November 9, 2018
Reception for Holocaust Survivors in the Austrian Parliament: "Never again!"
Rabbi Arthur Schneier from New York, speaking at the reception for Holocaust survivors in parliament, called for a common commitment to "Never again" and to live together in peace and mutual respect.
November 9, 2018
Austria Strengthening Venture Capital Structures with Seoul and Shanghai
Margarete Schramböck, Austrian Federal Minister for Digitisation and Business, visited Seoul, the capital of South Korea and China's greater Shanghai metropolitan area, together with a high-ranking delegation of experts from the fields of digitisation, science and business, with the aim of strengthening Austria as a location for innovation.
November 9, 2018
Russian Espionage Incident in the Austrian Armed Forces
A colonel of the Austrian Armed Forces is suspected of having worked for decades with a Russian intelligence service. Foreign Minister Kneissl quoted the Russian chargé d'affaires to the Foreign Ministry and cancelled her planned trip to Russia.
November 9, 2018
Eastern Partnership Youth Conference "Youth for Entrepreneurship" Opened in Vienna
Young people (between 18-30 years) from the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), interested in developing an entrepreneurial idea or social enterprise, are discussing in Vienna the state of youth entrepreneurship in the partner countries and learn about EU and national programmes for youth entrepreneurship as well as what steps to take to become a young entrepreneur.
November 9, 2018
Meet the New Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to Austria: H.E. Mr. Mirghani Abbaker Altayeb Bakhit
The new Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to Austria, H.E. Mr. Mirghani Abbaker Altayeb Bakhit presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with his letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.
November 7, 2018
Meet the New Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Austria: H.E. Ms. Mikaela Kumlin Granite
The new Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Austria, H.E. Ms. Mikaela Kumlin Granite presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with her letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.
November 7, 2018
Meet the New Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Austria: H.E. Ms. Natasha Meli Daudey
The new Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Austria, H.E. Ms. Natasha Meli Daudey presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with her letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg. She is also the Permanent Representative of Malta to the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe, to the United Nations and to the International Organisations based in Vienna.
November 7, 2018
Meet the New Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Austria: H.E. Mr. Kemal Kozarić
The new Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Austria, H.E. Mr. Kemal Kozarić presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with his letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.
November 7, 2018
Meet the New USA Ambassador to the International Organizations in Vienna (United Nations, IAEA, CTBTO) - Jackie Wolcott
Jackie Wolcott, of Virginia, is the new Representative of the United States to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, the new Representative of the United States of America to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the new Representative of the United States of America to the CTBTO Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, with the Rank of Ambassador.
November 2, 2018 · Updated: November 7, 2018; 13:00
Western Balkans - No Reconciliation in Kosovo Conflict
Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz visited Serbia and Kosovo during a trip to the Western Balkans. Since the last clash between the two heads of state Vučić and Thaçi in September, the talks have been suspended there. The EU should continue to support the search for a solution to the Kosovo conflict.
November 7, 2018
New Ambassador of Peru Also Accredited by Austrian Federal President
In the meantime, the new Ambassador of the Republic of Peru to Austria, H.E. Mr. Eric Anderson Machado, has handed over his credentials to Federal President Van der Bellen at the Vienna Hofburg.
November 7, 2018
The United States after the Midterms - What's next?
Shortly after the midterm elections, a panel discussion with prominent guests will take place at Vienna's International Institute for Peace (IIP), analysing the election results and discussing their significance.
November 5, 2018
Meet the Ambassador of Australia to Austria: H.E. Mr. Brendon Hammer
Dr. Brendon Hammer is the Australian Ambassador to Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Kosovo, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia.
November 5, 2018
RBI Subsidiary Raiffeisen Bank Polska Completes Sale
The sale of the core banking business of RBI subsidiary Raiffeisen Bank Polska to BGZ BNP has been completed, according to a statement. The regulatory approvals for the transaction agreed in April have now been obtained. The direct impact of the sale on RBI Group’s consolidated profit is expected to amount to minus EUR 121 million,
November 3, 2018
Japan and Austria are Preparing for Celebrations of 150 Years of Diplomatic Relations
In 2019, Japan and Austria will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. As part of the preparations for the celebrations, an increasing number of meetings and consultations are currently taking place between the two countries.
November 2, 2018
Ukrainian Week - Connecting Ukrainians and the United Nations
The Ukrainian Week at the United Nations will be organized from 12 to 16 November 2018 at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) with an overall purpose of promoting women´s empowerment and leadership, while introducing and widely popularizing Ukrainian culture and artists at the UN community. Do not miss a fantastic opportunity to taste the colors of Ukraine.
November 1, 2018
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