Opinions & Interviews

Sebastian Kurz noted that during the meeting with Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei last November an agreement was reached to give impetus to the development of relations of Belarus with Austria. In general, the parties agreed to do their best to contribute to the development of the positive momentum in the relations between Belarus and the European Union.

“We are living in the challenging times, especially for the EU's eastern neighbors, because there is concern about the crisis in Ukraine,” Sebastian Kurz said. According to him, there is some tension, which has an impact on the situation in the region as a whole.

The Federal Minister stressed that the visit to Belarus is taking place during the remarkable days. "I am aware of the heavy losses that Belarus suffered during the Great Patriotic War," he said. Sebastian Kurz added that a big number of people brought from Austria were executed on the territory of Belarus. The minister said that he is going to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the memory of the war victims.

Speaking of the bilateral relations, he drew attention to the close contacts in economy between Belarus and Austria.