AUSTRIA, June 26 - On 27 June 2022, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg welcomed His Majesty Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands, and Her Majesty Máxima, Queen of the Netherlands, as they arrived at Vienna International Airport. The Foreign Minister then went on to accompany the royal couple to the Hofburg, where there were received by their host, Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. After discussions between the two delegations, Foreign Minister Schallenberg hosted his Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra for a work meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Austria and the Netherlands have close personal, historical and economic ties, and our foreign policy objectives are similar. The state visit by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima is a strong and visible expression of the friendship between our two countries,

Foreign Minister Schallenberg said.

The meeting between the two Foreign Ministers focused on efforts to strengthen Austro-Dutch relations even further, as well as on the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Europe's security architecture and energy supplies. EU enlargement and the decision to grant candidate country status to Ukraine and Moldova were also discussed. Foreign Minister Schallenberg welcomed the decision by the European Council, but stressed to his Dutch colleague that there also had to be progress on enlargement in the Western Balkans.

The Dutch King and Queen will be on a state visit to Austria until 29 June 2022. They will be attending a number of events in Vienna, and are also scheduled to visit Styria.