Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg arrives in India, likely to discuss Ukraine crisis

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Austria's Minister for European and International Affairs arrived on Saturday on a three-day visit to India and is slated to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The two ministers had met last month in Germany at the Munich Security conference.</p>
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🇮🇳🇦🇹| We welcome Austrian Foreign Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/MFA_Austria?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mfa_austria</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/a_schallenberg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@a_Schallenberg</a> as he begins his first official visit to India. <a href="https://t.co/gLSKPomJvZ">pic.twitter.com/gLSKPomJvZ</a></p>
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/1505070463864639488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The Austrian foreign minister is also expected to meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.<br />
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Schallenberg was the Austrian Chancellor last year for a few months after which he took over as the foreign minister in December 2021.<br />
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His visit comes at a time when the situation in Europe is dire due to the Ukraine crisis. European nations have been pressuring India to join the West in condemning Russia for the Ukraine invasion at the UN–the General Assembly as well as the Security Council–where India has abstained from the vote till now. Also, India is under added scrutiny after procuring Russian oil at discounted rates.<br />
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Schallenberg's visit comes close on the heels of the <a href="https://www.vindobona.org/article/austrian-parliamentary-delegation-visits-india-which-maintains-a-strategic-partnership-with-russia">Austrian Parliamentary Delegation's meeting</a> with Vice President Naidu this Wednesday. The delegation, led by Wolfgang Sabotka, the president of the lower house also met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla this week. The two delegations discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the ways to bring about peace in the region.<br />
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According to a Lok Sabha communique, during its five-day visit, the Austrian Parliamentary Delegation met with a number of Union Ministers and members of the parliament.<br />
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Before beginning his India visit, Schallenberg was in Pakistan for four days where he met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. He discussed the situation in Afghanistan and thanked Pakistan for helping extract Austrian nations from the war-torn country.</p>
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Austria is keen to develop new markets in South Asia and improve relations in the region.</p>