Austria’s FM Schallenberg set to meet with Fidan on May 13-14

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to visit Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg on May 13-14, aiming to discuss various aspects of bilateral relations and shared concerns

Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will meet with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan tomorrow for his visit to Türkiye on May 13-14.

According to diplomatic sources, Minister Fidan will meet with his Austrian counterpart Schallenberg tomorrow.

Sources stated that Schallenberg’s visit to Türkiye on May 13-14 will provide an opportunity to address multi-dimensional bilateral relations between Austria and Türkiye comprehensively.

They added that tomorrow’s meeting between Fidan and Schallenberg will evaluate the stability of political relations and encourage high-level visits.

The meeting will address common issues on both countries’ agendas, such as economic relations, cooperation in the security field, counterterrorism, and illegal migration. Additionally, discussions will be held on matters concerning the Turkish community in Austria and the increasing anti-Muslim sentiment in Western Europe.

During the meeting, diplomatic sources anticipated a focus on Türkiye-European Union (EU) relations and global issues on the common agenda of the two countries. They noted that the Turkish side will bring up the necessary steps to stop the ongoing massacre in Gaza and reiterate the call to recognize the “State of Palestine.”

Sources also mentioned that a meeting with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya is planned for Schallenberg.

Bilateral relations

Highlighting that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Friendship Agreement and the 60th anniversary of the Labor Agreement between Türkiye and Austria, sources evaluated the recent momentum in bilateral relations between the two countries as satisfactory.

Diplomatic sources recalled that Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer visited Türkiye on October 10, 2023, upon the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

They noted that Austria’s prime minister-level visit took place after a 22-year hiatus and was successful.

Reminding that Austria’s investments in Türkiye from 2005 to 2024 reached $10.9 billion, sources shared that approximately 1,000 companies with Austrian partnership or capital operated in Türkiye.

Sources pointed out that about 350,000 people from families who immigrated from Türkiye live in Austria. They stated: “The number of businesses owned by these individuals, who are either Austrian or Turkish citizens, exceeds 12,000, with the total annual turnover of the businesses estimated to be around 1 billion euros.

Source: Newsroom

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