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Karin Kneissl
Karin Kneissl at the Foreign Affairs Council - Khashoggi, Libya, Venezuela and the Eastern Partnership
Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl met with Federica Mogherini and the other EU Foreign Ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg to discuss the situation in Libya, migration issues, the EU's Eastern Partnership, and the case of the missing Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
October 16, 2018
Citizens' Initiative "Europa.cafe" Receives the Europe State Award 2018
The European State Prize of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs honours the voluntary commitment of citizens and organisations to promote European awareness and understanding. The winning project in 2018 was the nationwide citizens' initiative "Europa.cafe", a successful example of how to creatively make the European Union tangible for the individual citizen on the one hand and how committed citizens can reach with dedication and conviction on the other.
October 12, 2018
Criticism of the Treatment of Refugees - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Sends Team to Vienna
Next week, experts from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will visit Vienna to gather an impression of the human rights situation. The new High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, had criticised Austria for not prioritising the return of migrants from Europe without ensuring that key international human rights obligations are met as a protective measure.
October 11, 2018
Israel - Austria Relations: Lifting of Sanctions Against Kneissl is Nearing
According to information in the daily newspapers "Die Presse" and "Der Standard" on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Israel plans to lift its ban on contacts with Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl. Netanyahu ordered Israeli authorities in December 2017 to refrain from contacts with FPÖ ministers. Although Kneissl is not a party member, she has been nominated by the Austrian Freedom Party FPÖ. However, the official Israeli contact ban will continue to apply to FPÖ government members.
September 26, 2018
Security Expenses at Kneissl's Wedding Amounted to Euro 223,000
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the state expenses for the large police contingent for the security of Russian President Vladimir Putin at Kneissl's wedding in August amounted to almost 222,750 euros.
September 25, 2018
Expansion of Nepal-Austria Relations Beyond Mountaineering
Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali paid a working visit to Austria. The visit focused on bilateral relations and the opening of the embassy in November last year.
September 19, 2018
Integration Report 2018: Focus on Women with a Migration Background
The members of the Expert Council on Integration presented the results of the Integration Report 2018. The Integration Report provides a comprehensive overview of integration in Austria. Austria's number of asylum applications in 2017 remained high compared to other EU countries. With 2.8 asylum applications per 1,000 inhabitants, Austria ranks 5th among all EU member states in proportion to its population.
September 14, 2018
Intercultural Achievement Award Fosters Dialogue Between Cultures
The Austrian Foreign Ministry presented the Intercultural Achievement Award (IAA) for the fifth time. The award honours inspiring projects in civil society that foster intercultural dialogue and coexistence. This time the award for sustainability went to a project from Mozambique. Ambassador Jörg Wojahn, the Representation of the European Commission in Vienna, and Secretary General of the OSCE Thomas Greminger used the dialogue-based work of their own institutions as a starting point and awarded prizes to projects from Ukraine and Tunisia.
September 14, 2018
Review of the State Visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Austria
After the visit in March 2016, which was cancelled at short notice, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was on a state visit to Vienna this week, accompanied by massive anti-Iran protests. The aim of the visit was a joint commitment to the Iran nuclear deal after the deal was approved in Vienna three years ago. The visit was overshadowed by a diplomatic case involving an employee of the Iranian embassy in Vienna, who had been arrested last weekend by the German judicial authorities on the basis of a European arrest warrant on suspicion of terrorism.
July 5, 2018
Who is Johannes Peterlik, Secretary General Designate at the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
The current Deputy Head of Section V for Cultural Foreign Relations of the BMEIA Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dr. Johannes Peterlik will take over the function of Secretary General for Foreign Affairs on 1 June 2018. The current Secretary General Dr. Michael Linhart becomes Ambassador in Paris.
May 25, 2018
US Embassy Opening in Jerusalem: Palestinian Ambassador to Austria Called Back to Palestine in Protest
The Austrian Ambassador to Israel, Martin Weiss, was one of only four EU Ambassadors (Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania) who participated in the celebrations surrounding the US embassy relocation to Jerusalem. The Palestinian leadership pointed out some time ago that not only the act but also the timing is a violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions, as well as arrogant disrespect. Therefore, the Palestinian Ambassador to Austria, Salah Abdel Shafi, has been called back to Palestine for an indefinite period of time.
May 16, 2018
Vienna Energy Forum 2018: Sustainable Energy Provision as a Key to Tackling Poverty
The sixth Vienna Energy Forum 2018 was held from 14 to 16 May, 2018, at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) and the Hofburg Imperial Palace. It was attended by over 1,800 participants from 130 countries, including prime ministers, ministers, high-level government officials, permanent mission representatives, chairs of the regional groups, donors, as well as representatives of the EU, the private sector and development finance institutions.
May 16, 2018
Austria, the OSCE and the Asia Pacific - Effective Multilateralism in a Globalized World
The Austrian Foreign Ministry in the framework of its Chairmanship of the OSCE Asian Contact Group (Afghanistan, Australia, Korea, Japan and Thailand), is organizing a conference on “Effective Multilateralism in a globalized world - The case of Europe and Asia Pacific” at Palais Niederösterreich, Vienna. The conference will focus on multilateral security mechanisms in Europe and the Asia Pacific region, as well as on economic connectivity and co-operation.
May 14, 2018
Goals for Austria's Presidency of the Council of the European Union
On 1 July 2018, Austria will take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Bulgaria. During its Presidency of the Council of the European Union (1 July to 31 December 2018), guided by the motto "A Europe that protects", Austria will focus on three key areas: security and the fight against illegal migration, retaining competitiveness through digitalisation, and stability in the neighbouring regions (particularly the accession of the Western Balkans to the EU).
April 25, 2018
Austria's Role in Brussels' Syria Conference Rather Modest
Austria's recent efforts regarding Syria to make only 4 million additional euros available on the one hand, and Lawrow's clear rejection of Austria's possible mediation role in the Syrian conflict on the other, cannot be classified as a success. Rather than Vienna, the Brussels Conference will seek to resume the UN peace talks in Geneva.
April 24, 2018
Opening of the Austrian Consulate General in Chengdu
Austria has set up a consulate general in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, with President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl attending the opening ceremony during their state visit to China. Van der Bellen also expressed his wish for a new male panda bear.
April 12, 2018
Austria's Largest State Visit to China Imminent
Austria's largest state visit to China to date is about to take place. Four ministers will travel to China from 7 to 12 April with President Van der Bellen and Chancellor Kurz. 170 Austrian companies with a delegation of around 200 people are also on board. The expectation is high that various agreements between Chinese and Austrian companies will be signed.
April 3, 2018
Vienna - Moscow: Maintaining All Communication Channels Is Crucial
All the evidence suggests that Russia is to blame for the poison attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. To date, 19 EU countries and 7 non-EU countries have expelled more than 150 diplomats. By deciding not to expel Russian diplomats, Austria is opposing most of its partner countries.
March 27, 2018
Austrian Attaché at Tel Aviv Embassy Poses in T-Shirt of Right-Wing Identitarians
Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl has recalled Jürgen-Michael Kleppich, Attaché at the Austrian Embassy in Tel Aviv. The reason for this are media reports that shortly after Kleppich moved to Israel in January 2018, he posted a picture of himself in a T-shirt from the shop of right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement on Facebook.
March 22, 2018
80th Anniversary of Mexico’s Protest Against Anschluss of Austria to Hitler-Germany
On 19 March 1938 Mexico submitted a note of protest to the League of Nations against the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany (known as “Anschluss”). At that time Mexico was the only member of the League of Nations to issue a written protest.
March 21, 2018
The Western Balkans Remain a Priority of Austrian Foreign Policy
Because of a common history and the tradition of political, cultural and economic relations, Austrian foreign policy has always attached particular importance to the Western Balkans. The primary goal of Austrian foreign policy is to support the transformation of the Western Balkans area into a zone of stability. From the Austrian perspective there is only one option for the Western Balkans: a full European integration of the region. However, the political commitment from the regions' leaders is expected.
February 28, 2018
Meet Her Excellency Austria's New Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl
Karin Kneissl (53) was recently appointed Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs. At present, she is busy touring Europe and introducing herself to her counterparts, or inviting them to the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs in Vienna.
February 20, 2018
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