VIENNA — Austria has come beneath heavy criticism for granting visas that can enable sanctioned Russian lawmakers to attend a Vienna assembly of the Group for Safety and Cooperation in Europe.

The problem highlights the fragile balancing act the European nation has engaged in whereas attempting to keep up its longstanding place of army neutrality in the course of the warfare in Ukraine. The Austrian authorities has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine virtually a yr in the past but in addition confused the necessity to preserve diplomatic relations with Moscow.

Austria hosts a number of U.N. businesses and worldwide organizations such because the OSCE, which was established in the course of the Chilly Struggle as a discussion board for dialogue between East and West. Russia is among the 57 nations in North America, Europe and Asia that take part within the Vienna-based group.

Moscow plans to ship delegates to the Feb. 23-24 assembly of the OSCE’s parliamentary meeting, together with 15 Russian lawmakers who’re beneath European Union sanctions. Amongst them are Deputy Duma Chairman Pyotr Tolstoy and fellow parliament member Leonid Slutsky.

In a letter to Austria’s chancellor, overseas minister and different officers, 81 OSCE delegates from 20 nations, together with France, Canada, Britain, Poland and Ukraine, known as upon the Austrian authorities to ban the participation of the sanctioned Russians.

“It is very important keep in mind that Russian parliamentarians are an integral a part of the facility system and complicit within the crimes Russia commits every single day in Ukraine,” learn the letter, which was seen by The Related Press. “They don’t have any place in an establishment tasked with selling honest dialogue and opposition to the warfare.”

The U.S. delegates to the Parliamentary Meeting weren’t among the many letter’s signatories. U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Michael Carpenter advised reporters Friday that the Russian delegates “are usually not individuals who deserve to have the ability to journey to Western nations.” Nonetheless, Carpenter added that it was “as much as the Austrian authorities to find out whether or not they’ll grant visas or not.”

Austrian officers haven’t commented on the letter. On Feb. 5, Overseas Minister Alexander Schallenberg defended Austria’s determination to permit the sanctioned Russians to enter the nation, arguing it was essential to maintain channels of communication with Moscow open regardless of the “brutal Russian assault in opposition to Ukraine.”

The Austrian Overseas Ministry additionally insisted that as host to the OSCE headquarters in Vienna, it’s legally obliged to grant visas to representatives of taking part nations who wish to participate in conferences there.

Austria, which grew to become a European Union member in 1995, has criticized Moscow and joined the sanctions the EU imposed in opposition to Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. However in contrast to Finland and Sweden, which determined to desert their non-aligned stances in Might by making use of to affix NATO, Austria stays dedicated to the army neutrality it adopted in 1955.

The Austrian authorities has despatched humanitarian assist to Ukraine however no weapons. Chancellor Karl Nehammer grew to become the primary and to date solely EU chief to satisfy Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face after the warfare began. Nehammer traveled to Moscow in April 2022 in a fruitless try to influence the Russian chief to finish the invasion.

Help stays sturdy for Austrian neutrality among the many public and political institution.

“I consider that Austrian neutrality can nonetheless play a optimistic position at present,” saysid Ralph Janik, an professional in worldwide legislation and researcher on the Sigmund Freud personal college in Vienna. “The choice could be to affix NATO, however each single Austrian politician may be very effectively conscious that this isn’t supported by nearly all of the Austrian public.”

Austria, which was annexed by Nazi Germany within the run-up to World Struggle II, declared neutrality after the warfare beneath strain from Western allies and the Soviet Union. It sought a job as a mediator between East and West and developed ties with Moscow throughout and after the Chilly Struggle.

In 1968, Austria grew to become the primary Western European nation to import gasoline from the Soviet Union, and its dependence on Russian power elevated within the following a long time. Earlier than the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 80% of Austria’s pure gasoline got here from Russia. It has since decreased the share to simply over 20% by turning to Norwegian gasoline, in accordance with Austria’s regulator for electrical energy and gasoline.

The Austrian banking system can be intently linked to Russia. Austria’s second-largest financial institution, the Raiffeisenbank Worldwide, earned greater than half of its income in 2022 from Russia. The financial institution has come beneath intense strain for persevering with its enterprise in Russia regardless of Moscow’s warfare in opposition to Ukraine, and is presently evaluating strategic choices, together with an exit from Russia.

Vienna can be identified to be a playground for spies, together with from Russia, because of its lenient espionage legal guidelines. Regardless of its preliminary reluctance, Austria has expelled eight Russian diplomats who’re believed to have been engaged in spying for the reason that begin of the Russian warfare in opposition to Ukraine.

Whereas there are not any indicators of a shift away from Austrian neutrality, some have known as for the coverage to be reassessed following the Ukraine warfare.

Werner Fasslabend, a former Austrian protection minister from the conservative Folks’s Social gathering, is among the many few distinguished voices arguing in favor of the nation renouncing neutrality and becoming a member of NATO. With the top of Chilly Struggle and Austria’s accession to the EU, Austrian neutrality has “misplaced its operate,” mentioned Fasslabend, the director of the Austrian Institute for European and Safety Coverage.

As a NATO member, Austria would “be in a greater place to form European safety coverage and can acquire better safety,” he added, admitting that it was unlikely to occur given it might require altering the structure by a two-thirds majority within the Austrian parliament.

“This majority just isn’t nearby,” Fasslabend mentioned.

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Observe AP’s protection of the warfare in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine