Austrian Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger on possibility of country’s accession to NATO: Neutrality does not protect us
Austrian Minister of the Interior Beate Meinl-Reisinger said that neutrality alone no longer guarantees Austria's security.
This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Die Welt.
"One thing is clear: neutrality alone does not protect us. Against the backdrop of an increasingly uncertain global security situation and an increasingly aggressive Russia, Austria is protected by investments in its own defense capabilities as well as in partnerships," said Meinl-Reisinger.
She emphasized that she is fundamentally open to public debate on the future of Austrian security and defense policy.
"Although there is currently no majority in the parliament and among the population that would support NATO membership, such debates can be very fruitful," the minister added.
Meinl-Reisinger noted that Austria cannot sit back and say: if we do not harm anyone, no one will harm us. In her opinion, this would be naive.
"The world has changed. But I would like to be clear: in the EU, we already have a partner who will protect us in an emergency. At the same time, we make a significant contribution to European security. We send soldiers to numerous EU peacekeeping missions and do our best to support the common European security and defense policy financially, militarily and politically. In this sense, Austria's neutrality has already changed significantly since joining the EU in 1995," she said.
