Meeting with Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen
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Belarus is interested in promoting dialogue with Austria on security in the region, Belarusian head of state Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a bilateral meeting with Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen in Minsk on 29 June.
The President noted that Austria plays a significant role in strengthening security in Europe. “We would really like to see Austrian high-level representatives at the Minsk conference on security in our region in the autumn and have a meaningful dialogue on the development of the security process,” Aleksandr Lukashenko underlined.
“We are hosting the 2nd European Games and looking forward to welcoming as many Austrian athletes as possible. I would like to take this opportunity and invite you to attend the games,” the President said addressing the high guest.
Aleksandr Lukashenko underlined the huge role Austria plays in the normalization of
Belarus’ relations with the European Union. “We maintain close ties with the
current federal chancellor of Austria. We are going to meet with Austrian
leadership in Vienna soon. We are arranging such an event, such a meeting. I
would like the meeting to be productive,” noted the Belarusian leader.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also
said: “Austrian leaders are always welcome in Belarus. We have a lot in common.
There are many common projects particularly in economy. I think that due to
your visit to Belarus today we are capable of expanding Belarus-Austria
cooperation through our interagency contacts.”
The Belarusian President has
visited Austria twice: in April 1996 for the International Conference “10 years
after Chernobyl” and in March 2002 at the invitation of the president of the
Austrian Olympic Committee. For the first time in the history of the
Belarusian-Austrian relations, the two presidents met on 28 September 2015 on
the sidelines of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
During a telephone conversation on 29 May 2018, held on the initiative of the
Austrian side, Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz invited the
Belarusian President to visit Austria.
The Austrian government
attaches special importance to the perpetuation of the memory of the Austrian
Jews killed in Trostenets during World War II.