On 19 October, Foreign Minister Michael Linhart stood before the National Council’s Committee on Foreign Affairs for the first time and took questions from the deputies. The meeting opened with a discussion of the key issue of Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Michael Linhart said:
It is my deep belief that we must help the people in this region, so I am very pleased that 15 million euros of our 20-million-euro humanitarian emergency aid package have already been distributed to our project partners IKRK, UNHCR, and World Food Programme (WFP); we are also already coordinating details with UN Women,
said Foreign Minister Michael Linhart
On the issue of evacuations, he noted that around 340 people have received assistance to leave the country so far. A pragmatic approach was necessary for dealing with the new ruling powers, he said. Austria plans to create further initiatives, particularly by coordinating with the countries in Central Asia. However, for the sake of the transatlantic community of values, he asserted, it is important to uphold democracy, pluralism, and respect for basic and human rights in talks with the Taliban.
I will always speak up in support of basic freedoms and human rights. Our European values are not negotiable,
said the foreign minister.
He strives to create continuity in his foreign policy priorities.
Completing the EU mosaic by adding the Western Balkan states, creating a strong transatlantic partnership, and bolstering our economy with the ReFocus Austria initiative are the three thematic pillars of my foreign policy approach,
Foreign Minister Michael Linhart explained in his presentation to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
That is why his first international trip took him to Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said – sending a clear signal that “Project Europe” was incomplete without the western Balkans.
The coronavirus crisis management fund was also on the agenda. In the largest repatriation campaign of all time, the Foreign Ministry safely brought more than 7,500 people from five continents and 29 countries back to Austria.
With this campaign, our Foreign Ministry demonstrated that serving our citizens is not just something we promise, but something we embody full-heartedly. And that will not change – we will continue to provide Austrians abroad with extensive consular help, whether it is for returning home, for medical emergencies, or in cases of financial trouble,
the foreign minister said.
