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Minister Edtstadler Defends Visa Exemptions for Russians

Austrian Europe Minister Karoline Edtstadler has defended Austria’s decision to grant visas to the Russian Delegation amidst the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly.

February 21, 2023

Journalists' Associations Against Exclusion of Media at OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

In response to plans by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that media representatives would not be permitted to attend the winter session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) at the Hofburg in Vienna, the Association of European Journalists (AEJ) and the Association of Foreign Press in Vienna objected.

February 20, 2023

Who Were the Four Expelled Austrian Diplomats in Moscow?

The expulsion of the Austrian diplomats, who must leave Russia, will lead to a significant reduction in embassy staff. But what positions did the diplomats hold?

February 20, 2023

Chancellor Nehammer Discussed Migration Issues With the Spanish Prime Minister in Vienna

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Vienna. He mentioned the Spanish expertise in terms of external border control. On the same day, he also met with the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo.

February 20, 2023

Minister Schallenberg Promoted Dialogue at Munich Security Conference

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg attended the 59th Munich Security Conference. He met with several counterparts and he emphasized the importance of communication in these difficult times.

February 19, 2023

Moscow Expels Four Austrian Diplomats from Russia

Russia has announced that it will expel four Austrian diplomats. In addition to the expulsion of the Austrian diplomats, the Austrian ambassador in Moscow, Werner Almhofer, was also cited to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This comes as a kind of retaliation after Vienna itself expelled four Russian diplomats a few weeks ago.

February 16, 2023

Austrian Security Policy Handbook Presented in Japan

To increase knowledge of the European Union's Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) and thus lay the groundwork for cooperation, the Austrian Common Security and Defense Policy Handbook was translated into several Asian languages. This handbook has now been presented in Japan.

February 15, 2023

Japanese Embassy in Vienna Organized Reception On the Occasion of the Birthday of His Majesty the Emperor

A reception was held at the Ambassador's Residence on the occasion of His Majesty the Emperor's birthday. This was the first national holiday reception in three years after the Corona-related cancellation. About 250 guests attended, among them former Austrian President Dr. Heinz Fischer as the guest of honor. Additionally, it was exciting for diplomacy that Ambassador Ryuta used his speech at the reception to outline Japan's foreign policy goals.

February 14, 2023

Russian Ambassador Lyubinsky Criticized Austria

Russia's Ambassador to Vienna Dmitry Lyubinsky detects an erosion of Austria's neutrality status and sees a "huge minus sign" in front of Russian-Austrian relations. However, Lyubinsky also spoke of maintaining contacts with influential people in Austria.

February 13, 2023

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Received Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg

Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Washington, D.C., as a sign of the strong transatlantic partnership. In the first bilateral meeting between the two foreign ministers, the two discussed cooperation on the Russo-Ukrainian war, the Western Balkans, the expansion of Austria's Strategic Partnership with the United States, and the Turkish earthquake disaster.

February 12, 2023

Embassy of Iran Organized a Reception for the National Day of the Islamic Republic of Iran

On the occasion of the National Day of the Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Abbas Bagherpour Ardekani, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Austria and Slovakia, together with H.E. Mohsen Naziri Asl, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Vienna, hosted a reception at the Ambassador's Residence in Vienna.

February 9, 2023

Meet the New Permanent Representative of Argentina to the International Organizations in Vienna

Holger Federico Martinsen, Argentina's new permanent representative, presented his credentials to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Ghada Waly. Meet Ambassador Holger Federico Martinsen, the new permanent representative of Argentina to the International Organizations in Vienna.

February 6, 2023

Australian Embassy in Vienna Celebrated its National Holiday "Australia Day"

Every year, Australia Day celebrates contemporary Australia and acknowledges the country's history while reflecting on what it means to be Australian. This year, the Australian Embassy in Vienna was able to celebrate their nation's national day without corona restrictions and in person.

February 2, 2023

Austria Expels Four Russian Diplomats

Austria expels four Russian diplomats. This was announced by the Foreign Ministry, according to a statement. The four diplomats are accused of "incompatible actions" with their diplomatic status. This expulsion, however, goes beyond espionage and incompatible acts, according to experts.

February 2, 2023

Premiere for the TechDiplomacy Talk at the Austrian Foreign Ministry

On the occasion of the Vienna visit of the United Nations Envoy for Technology, Under-Secretary-General Amandeep Singh Gill, a TechDiplomacy Talk was held at the Austrian Foreign Ministry. Read more about the premiere of the new format!

February 1, 2023

OSCE Condemns Russia’s Decision to Outlaw Independent News Outlet Meduza

Moscow continues its campaign against opposition Russian media with unabated vigor. The Riga-based web portal "Meduza" is banned completely in Russia. The OSCE denounced the Russian authorities’ decision to outlaw one of the most popular Russian-language news portals.

January 31, 2023

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Bujar Osmani Will Visit Brussels

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office and Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani will visit Brussels to meet with EU and NATO Officials.

January 30, 2023

Thriller Surrounding Ex-Chief of Belarusian Raiffeisen Subsidiary

The head of the Belarusian Raiffeisen subsidiary Priorbank and ex-honorary consul of Austria in Belarus has now been released after a period of imprisonment. The Austrian diplomat Sergey Kostyuchenko, who is said to have made great contributions to bilateral relations between Minsk and Vienna, was a political prisoner of Alexander Lukashenko's regime over the last year.

January 30, 2023

Joint Commemoration of the Victims of the Shoah

On the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, representatives of the Israeli Religious Community, the Roma, the Government of Austria, the Embassy of Israel in Vienna and the humanist parliamentary parties commemorated the victims of the Shoah.

January 29, 2023

International Vaccine Institute Opens an Austrian Office

International Vaccine Institute (IVI), an international health organization dedicated to developing, delivering, and evaluating vaccines for global health, announced the opening of its Austrian Country Office.

January 26, 2023

French Embassy in Vienna Awards Academic Palms

The French Ambassador to Austria, Gilles Pécout, presented the Academic Palm to four personalities during a ceremony at the Embassy in the presence of the Austrian Federal Minister for Europe and Constitution, Karoline Edtstadtler.

January 25, 2023

United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh Visits Austria

Marty Walsh, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, visited Austria and learned about best practices in apprenticeship training from several government and industry representatives. This was a further expansion of bilateral relations based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed in April 2022 to strengthen cooperation between the U.S. and Austria in apprenticeship training.

January 25, 2023

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the New FSC Chairmanship of the OSCE

Bosnia and Herzegovina was recently appointed to hold the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) Chairmanship for the first term of 2023. Each meeting's agenda is set by the Chairmanship, which emphasizes issues concerning the implementation of commitments adopted by the Forum. Bosnia and Herzegovina shows empathy with Ukraine, due to the country's own history of violent conflicts.

January 24, 2023

IAEA Chief Grossi and Austrian Foreign Minister Schallenberg Visit Brussels

Austria recorded a small but significant diplomatic success at Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg's visit to the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. Already in the run-up to the meeting, the EU foreign ministers met Rafael Grossi, Director General of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on the initiative of Foreign Minister Schallenberg.

January 23, 2023

Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani Visits Vienna

The Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, met in Vienna with the Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, as well as with the OSCE leadership, as North Macedonia will assume the OSCE Chairmanship for 2023.

September 1, 2022 · Updated: January 20, 2023; 12:00

Romania’s Ambassador to Austria Returns to his Position

Romania’s Ambassador to Austria Emil Hurezeanu is returning to its position in Vienna. He was recalled after Austria blocked Romania’s Schengen accession in December.

January 19, 2023

Armenian Foreign Minister Visits Vienna Because of Nagorno-Karabakh's Worsening Humanitarian Situation

Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan is currently on a working visit to Vienna to participate in the Special Meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council initiated by Armenia, due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. In addition, Mirzoyan met with Ghada Fathi Waly, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

January 17, 2023

First Meeting Between Austrian and French Foreign Ministers in Paris

Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg traveled to Paris for various working talks and meeting to strengthen Franco-Austrian relations. There was also the first bilateral meeting between Austria's Schallenberg and France's Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.

January 17, 2023

Confucius Institute at the University of Vienna Organized Spring Reception

The Confucius Institute of the University of Vienna organized a reception for the Chinese Spring Festival. The Chinese New Year "The Year of the Rabbit" is dedicated to the Water Rabbit. At the reception, the Chinese Embassy Counselor in Vienna also gave a speech.

January 15, 2023

Ceremonial Reopening of the Parliament in Vienna

On the occasion of the opening of the renovated parliament building, a grand ceremony was held in the Federal Assembly Hall, which was attended not only by top domestic politicians but also by numerous guests of honor from Austria and abroad. The historic house on the Ring, which took five years to renovate and modernize, now shines again in its new splendor.

January 12, 2023

Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International Gets Under Pressure Due to Russo-Ukrainian War

Its involvement in Russia keeps Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) and its managers, led by Johann Strobl, very busy. The subsidiary institution in Moscow is RBI's biggest profit earner and almost the entire RBI board is on the Ukrainians' "awaiting sanctions" list. Whether RBI will stay in Russia and how to proceed is still unclear, as the banking group is in a tricky situation.

January 9, 2023

First International Cross-Over Transplantation for Kidney Disease at Vienna University Hospital AKH

In the University Hospital Vienna AKH, for the first time made possible by diplomacy, a kidney was implanted in a 31-year-old Viennese, which was flown in from Israel by a living donor. A few hours earlier, a kidney was removed from his brother at Vienna General Hospital and transferred to Israel on the same plane.

January 9, 2023

Czech Foreign Minister States That Austria's Schengen-No Was Unexpected

Czech Presidency Europe was briefly troubled by Austria's No to Schengen enlargement regarding Bulgaria and Romania. For Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, Austria's "no" vote regarding Romania's and Bulgaria's Schengen accession came "suddenly".

January 4, 2023

India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Visits Vienna

Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg welcomed his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to Vienna. It was the first visit of an Indian Foreign Minister to Austria in 27 years and the fifth meeting with Foreign Minister Schallenberg in the past twelve months.

January 3, 2023

French Ambassador Gilles Pécout in Austria Visits Linz

As part of the initiative "Das Land tagt mit der Welt" ("The country meets with the world") by the President of the Provincial Parliament, Peter Binder, an event was held to "promote more internationality and cosmopolitanism in Upper Austria. The French ambassador to Austria, H.E. Gilles Pécout, arrived from Vienna as a guest of honor.

December 28, 2022

Meet the New Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations in Vienna

Vilawan Mangklatanakul, Thailand's new permanent representative, presented her credentials to the Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Dennis Thatchaichawalit. Meet Ambassador, Vilawan Mangklatanakul, the new permanent representative of the Kingdom of Thailand to the International Organizations in Vienna.

December 23, 2022

Russian Permanent Representative to UN in Vienna Says Soon Agreement with IAEA on Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant

At Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control, there have again been several powerful explosions, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. An agreement on a protection zone is being fiercely discussed but has yet to be reached. The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation and Moscow expect significant progress in this direction.

December 22, 2022

Espionage in Vienna: Russian Spy Exposed

A Greek citizen of Russian descent allegedly spied on state secrets for Russia in Vienna. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution unmasked the 39-year-old son of a former diplomat as a Russian spy. During the house search, the police also found listening devices, as well as other compromising materials.

December 19, 2022

IAEA Arrives in Iran Capital for New Nuclear Negotiations

A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Tehran. On the agenda of the IAEA team are new negotiations with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) as well as representatives of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomatic efforts over Iran's nuclear program appear to be dragging on and on.

December 18, 2022

EU Delegation in Vienna Organized Charity Gala "#EU4UKRAINE

The EU Delegation to the International Organizations in Vienna organized for the third time the EU Multilateral Christmas Charity Gala. The Kalush Orchestra, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) winner from Ukraine, also came to MuTh for the EU Multilateral Christmas Charity Gala in favor of Ukraine and performed together with the Janoska Ensemble, the Chorus Juventus of the Vienna Boys Choir.

December 18, 2022

Project "Christmas together with Ukraine" in Vienna

Children from different regions of Ukraine visited Vienna for a Christmas concert. The project "Christmas with Ukraine" is held on the route Uzhhorod-Budapest-Vienna-Bratislava-Prague-Warsaw-Uzhhorod. Despite air raids and the bombing of cities, the children prepared and currently present a bright Christmas performance.

December 15, 2022

Minister Schallenberg at the European Foreign Affairs Council

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg traveled to Brussels for the European Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) to meet with his counterparts from the other EU-member states. The main focus of the agenda was Iran.

December 14, 2022

Symbolic Act of Handover in St. Stephen's Cathedral on the Occasion of the Swedish EU Presidency

Sweden's next year's Presidency of the Council of the European Union was acclaimed by the Swedish Embassy with a unique event at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. On the occasion of the traditional Swedish Festival of Lights, St. Stephen's Cathedral hosted a concert featuring a Lucia procession to symbolize the transfer of the EU presidency.

December 13, 2022

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani Visits Vienna

Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani came to Vienna for a meeting with Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The visit of Tajani asked for the opportunity to consolidate cooperation and talks with Vienna on the main bilateral issues (especially in the fields of economy, energy and infrastructure), European and international, starting with the migration issue.

December 13, 2022

Annual Meeting for Intercultural and Religious Dialogue of the European People's Party in Vienna

The annual meeting of the Working Group on Intercultural and Religious Dialogue of the European People's Party (EPP) parliamentary group in the European Parliament took place this weekend in Vienna. Without religions and their contribution to the formation of values, a future for Europe is unimaginable, according to the EPP.

December 11, 2022

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis Visits Vienna

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis came to Vienna for a visit, meeting his counterpart in Austria, Alexander Schallenberg. In addition, Landsbergis met with IAEA Chief Rafael Mariano Grossi and OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid. The exchanges focused on the Russian war in Ukraine, in particular European support efforts against the backdrop of the approaching winter, as well as the prosecution of war crimes. In addition, the two foreign ministers discussed current developments in Iran and increasing migration pressure.

December 11, 2022

AACC has organized a Business & Innovation Panel held at Palais Eschenbach

The Austro-Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC) organized a high-level Business & Innovation panel which was held in the United Arab Emirates. Speeches were made, highlighting the good business relations between UAE and Austria.

December 9, 2022

First Indications Because of Morbid Parcels to Ukrainian Embassies

The suspicious and morbid parcels sent to Ukrainian embassies and consulates in various countries all have a Tesla dealer in Germany as the sender. As recently reported, Ukrainian missions abroad received "Bloody" packages with animal eyes, also in Austria.

December 7, 2022

Meet the New Permanent Representative of Honduras to the United Nations in Vienna

Elena María Freije Murillo, Honduras's new permanent representative, presented her credentials to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Ghada Waly. Meet Ambassador Elena María Freije Murillo, the new permanent representative of Honduras to the International Organizations in Vienna.

December 6, 2022

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

The 16 Days of Activism is an annual campaign against gender-based violence that runs from November 25 to December 10, marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. There are 20 panels on the outside grills of the French Embassy building in Vienna dedicated to preventing and combating violence against women.

December 6, 2022