Austrian Foreign Minister: Neutrality Alone Will Not Protect Us

Vienna said it was ready to discuss abandoning neutrality because of Russia.

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger told Die Welt that she is ready to discuss Vienna's possible abandonment of neutrality, although she noted that the idea of joining NATO does not enjoy much support in the country.

"One thing is clear: neutrality alone will not protect us," Meinl-Reisinger said, noting that Austria is also focusing on investing in defense and strengthening relations with partners in the face of "an increasingly uncertain global security situation and an increasingly aggressive Russia."

The minister said there is currently no majority in the Austrian parliament or among the population that would support joining the North Atlantic Alliance, but "such a discussion could be very fruitful." "It's not that I want a triumphal entry into NATO," Meinl-Reisinger added, but noted that the world has changed and called naive the view that "if we don't touch anyone, no one will touch us."

The minister said Austria already has an EU partner that can protect the country in an emergency, Vienna itself "makes a significant contribution to European security," and the Austrian military participates in EU peacekeeping missions. "In this respect, Austria's neutrality has changed markedly since joining the EU in 1995," the foreign minister said.

Austria's military neutrality has been enshrined in the constitution since 1955, but the topic of its possible abolition has been raised more than once since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

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