Austria hopes to become a stronger force in global diplomacy and a hub for conflict resolution. Key to those efforts, according to Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, is sticking to decades-old military neutrality despite a raging war in the nation’s proximity.
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The nation’s top diplomat is campaigning for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, offering to host eventual peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and pushing for a return to the negotiating table on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Her energetic drive since taking office in March as part of a three-way coalition government seeks to help Austria find its place in the new world order. Once a gateway between Europe’s east and west, Vienna’s economic and political relevance has faded due to its longest recession since World War II, and as former Communist neighbours forge their own paths in international politics.
Being outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, like neighbouring Switzerland, may play out to Austria’s benefit.
“There is an advantage to not being a member of Nato,” Meinl-Reisinger, 47, said in an interview. “This is a certain understanding that you always have to stick to dialogue.”
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Her pitch is based on the long history of Viennese diplomacy. The Habsburg Empire grew into a European power through strategic marriages, as opposed to waging wars.