Following the forthcoming accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, the focus is on Austrian neutrality / Article

Following the forthcoming accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, the focus has been on Austrian neutrality

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Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said this week that Austria had no plans to join NATO. The country has a completely different geographical situation and a very different history, so Austria is not politically neutral.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nhammer stressed on Tuesday that Austria was, is and will remain neutral. Meanwhile, the opposition and some experts have criticized the government’s reluctance to reassess its position, which calls into question Austria’s long-standing military neutrality, which began at the start of the Cold War.

More than 50 Austrian security experts, scientists and diplomats called on the government to remain open about Austrian security policy, arguing that Russia’s war against Ukraine called into question the country’s neutrality. Some Austrian journalists have also expressed surprise that there has not even been a debate in Austria about the national security situation and the potential reassessment of the course.

CONTEXT:

Finland and Sweden have long abstained from joining the alliance. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine radically changed the security situation in Europe, and support for NATO membership rose sharply among politicians and the public in both countries.

This week, May 18, both Finland and Sweden have submitted applications NATO membership.

The forthcoming enlargement of the Alliance has been welcomed by both the NATO leadership and many NATO members, but there are concerns about Turkey’s statement that it does not support their accession to NATO. Alliance leadership and member states hopes to resolve the situationwithout delaying the forthcoming enlargement.

Meanwhile, Russia, which demanded a halt to NATO enlargement before the war in Ukraine, changed its rhetoric after the initial outrage over Finland’s and Sweden’s forthcoming NATO membership, saying that Russia’s accession to NATO was not so much a concern. At the same time, there is a risk that Russia could stop supplying natural gas to Finlandwhich Russia already has cut off the electricity supply.

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