"Discussions on Austria's NATO membership could be productive" - Foreign Minister

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said in an interview with Die Welt that she was ready to discuss a possible abandonment of neutrality by Vienna, despite the fact that the idea of joining NATO does not enjoy widespread 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 context of “an increasingly uncertain global security situation and a more aggressive Russia.”

According to the minister, 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 productive.”

“The world has changed and it would be naive to think that ‘if we don’t touch anyone, then no one will touch us.’”