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.