FPÖ - Reifenberger: "Sky Shield" airspace defense system is not compatible with Austria's perpetual neutrality

2023-07-02 07:35:25

The “Trio Infernale” Nehammer, Tanner and Schallenberg gradually works on the abolition of neutrality and pushes Austria more and more towards NATO

Vienna (OTS) – Yesterday it became known that the federal government is aiming for Austria’s participation in the “Sky Shield” airspace defense system. FPÖ defense spokesman NAbg. Volker Reifenberger sees this project as a clear breach of Austria’s neutrality: “The ‘trio infernale’ Nehammer, Tanner and Schallenberg are gradually working on the abolition of neutrality and are driving our country further and further in the direction of the EU army and NATO. Nehammer and Tanner’s argument, according to which it is a matter of participating in a protective shield that serves to avert danger and that its implementation could not be managed by a single state, shows very clearly that our warmongering federal government has not understood neutrality. Nehammer and Tanner could try to justify joining NATO with the same irrelevant arguments.”

The renowned international law expert Prof. Dr. Michael Geistlinger also sees a major problem in Austria’s membership of “Sky Shield”: “It is incompatible with Austria’s status under international law as a perpetually neutral state and thus means a breach of neutrality and at the same time a breach of international law. Austria would thus align its defense policy in questions of missile defense and airspace surveillance unilaterally and mainly together with states of the NATO military alliance against non-NATO states, acquire NATO-compatible weapons and weapons and related surveillance systems directed against non-NATO states, or itself participate in it and would indirectly be part of a military alliance to which it is not allowed to belong due to its neutral status.”

The plans are also doubly negligent because participation in “Sky Shield” is a voluntary decision by the federal government and nobody is forcing Austria to do so. FPÖ defense spokesman NAbg. Volker Reifenberger: “To do all this at a time when NATO is on the verge of an open military conflict with Russia is a devastating neutrality policy decision by the Austrian Defense Minister and the Austrian Federal Chancellor. The planned participation in ‘Sky Shield’ seriously jeopardizes the protection that Austria’s neutral status has afforded since World War II.”