FPÖ - Kassegger to Schallenberg: "Participate in every EU outrage and at the same time insist on neutrality, that's not possible"

2023-07-02 13:03:44

Austria’s neutrality has precise limits, which Schallenberg constantly shifts in order to be a model student in the EU

Vienna (OTS) – Today’s appearance by ÖVP Foreign Minister Schallenberg in the “ORF press hour” showed how endangered Austria’s neutrality really is, regretted FPÖ foreign policy spokesman NAbg. Axel Kassegger: “Participating in every EU outrage and at the same time insisting on neutrality, that’s not enough at the end of the day.” The currently planned step – the commitment within the framework of ‘Sky Shield’ – is particularly dangerous, according to Kassegger: “If Germany, as quoted by the editor Föderl-Schmid, sees this project as a strengthening of NATO’s European pillar, then all the alarm bells must be ringing at the latest. But what is our foreign minister doing? He smiles away all misgivings and appeals to the Liberals to take a realistic view of neutrality. That’s exactly what we’re doing and that’s why we vehemently reject joining the ‘Sky Shield’ missile umbrella!”

Schallenberg’s clean bill of health for ‘Sky Shield’ is questionable insofar as he himself confirmed in an interview with “Deutschlandfunk” that Austria would not join any defense alliance. Today, Schallenberg was convinced that ‘Sky Shield’ is only about exchanging information, which does not contradict Austria’s neutrality. Axel Kassegger: “It is really adventurous to see how the Austrian Foreign Minister wants to fool the people in the country. The most important thing for him is obviously that Austria is a model student in Brussels – you can sacrifice the neutrality of your homeland for that.”

The FPÖ foreign policy expert found the indifference with which Schallenberg assessed the war in Ukraine similarly questionable. You will have to get used to the terrible images because the language of the battlefield is currently being spoken, said Schallenberg: “It’s really shameful. Not a word of criticism of the arms deliveries by the EU and other states to the war zone – by the way also by our country, in which Schallenberg could not see any violation of neutrality. The task of the foreign minister of a neutral country would be to work unconditionally for an end to the war and for serious negotiations. Apparently that doesn’t seem to be the main focus at Schallenberg, and that’s sad.”