AUSTRIA, September 21 - On 22 September 2022, Foreign Minister Schallenberg met with the President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), Ronald Lauder, and the CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), David Harris, on the sidelines of the 77^th General Assembly of the United Nations. The Foreign Minister also talked with representatives of other Jewish organisations – B’nai B’rith, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry (NCSEJ), and the umbrella association for Jewish organisations in the US, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.  

The talks focused on the excellent bilateral relations between Austria and Israel, Austria’s commitment to the fight against anti-Semitism, and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

Austria takes its historical responsibility seriously. Jewish people worldwide have the right to live in safety and freedom. We will continue and further strengthen our fight against anti-Semitism,

said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, emphasising the country’s historical responsibility.

With regard to the relationship between Austria and Israel, Foreign Minister Schallenberg emphasised that the bilateral relations were excellent, and possibly better than ever before. One sign of this excellent relationship, he said, was the strategic partnership between the two countries that had been agreed in July 2022 between Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Among other things, the cooperation aims to strengthen their common fight against anti-Semitism.

Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had led to an increase in anti-Semitic incidents, and noted that Austria had a zero-tolerance policy in this regard.

In the course of the pandemic, we unfortunately observed an increase in anti-Semitic crimes over the last two years. The Austrian authorities are taking decisive action against this phenomenon,

stressed Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

Furthermore, the minister presented concrete steps that had been taken in implementing the national strategy against anti-Semitism. These include tripling the investments to promote Jewish life and protect Jewish institutions in Austria, expanding relevant training courses for police and judicial authorities, and creating a national forum against anti-Semitism in June 2022. In addition, Austria will provide 1.5 million euros for a collaboration with the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial site in Jerusalem for the period 2022 to 2024.

In his conversations, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg also addressed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Foreign Minister stressed that the Russian war of aggression represented a turning point in the area of international relations. The “end of history” and the triumph of a liberal social system that were forecast by many had not materialised, he said. Instead, Europe was facing the largest attack on its security architecture since the Second World War. This had led to a geopolitical awakening of the EU.