OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz will make a working visit to Moscow on January 17−18 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

At their meeting on January 18, the foreign ministers will discuss practical aspects of Russian-Austrian relations and current international issues.

Russian-Austrian relations have been developing positively in a spirit of mutual trust and stability and have not been marred by any major problems. The leaders of the two countries are focused on strengthening political dialogue and trade, economic, investment and innovation-based cooperation, as well as cultural, humanitarian, research and technological ties.

A major event in bilateral relations was a meeting between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Austria Heinz Fischer during his official visit to Russia on April 6, 2016. The parties maintain regular dialogue between their ministries, agencies, parliaments and regions.

President-elect Alexander Van der Bellen, who will assume office on January 26, 2017, supports the further development of bilateral relations with Russia and the strengthening of economic and cultural ties and also views Russia as an important global influence.

Because of the restrictions against Russia, bilateral Russian-Austrian trade fell 15.8 per cent to $1.9 billion from January through September 2016. Bilateral trade decreased 24.5 per cent in 2015 and 17.9 per cent in 2014.

The Joint Russian-Austrian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation and its industry groups are effective tools for overcoming the decline in mutual trade. The last time the Commission convened was in Moscow on February 2, 2016.  

Over 1,200 Austrian companies and some 50 companies with Austrian capital are operating in Russia. The Austrian banks and services and tourism companies that operate in Russia do not intend to curtail their business activity and are interested in the early normalisation of EU-Russian relations. The Russian-Austrian Business Council, which is an informal venue for dialogue between the two countries’ business communities, has greatly contributed to the strengthening of bilateral economic ties. The last time it met was in Vienna on November 18, 2016.  

Cultural ties are an important element in Russia-Austria relations. The intergovernmental Agreement on Cultural Cooperation (1998) provides the basis for implementing targeted programmes in culture and the arts, maintaining fruitful ties between the musical arts, theatres, libraries and creative institutions, and strengthening direct ties between the two countries’ cities and regions. In June 2016, Russia and Austria adopted a revised Cooperation and Exchange Programme of Culture, Education and Science for 2016−2020. A joint action plan in culture in 2017 was signed during Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky’s visit to Vienna in December 2016.

The cross-tourism year, to be held in 2017, is a major issue on the bilateral agenda. It will be held with due regard for the positive experience of the Russian-Austrian cultural seasons in 2013−2015. The cross-tourism year programme includes about 50 major events that are designed to strengthen friendly ties between the two nations, overcoming the negative trends in the tourism sector (the number of Russian tourists in Austria decreased 30 percent and the number of Austrian tourists in Russia dropped 40 per cent in January−March 2016), to improve and decentralise tourist routes and to promote new tourist destinations.

The opening ceremony of the cross-tourism year was held on January 12, 2017 and was connected with the Ferien-Messe Wien, an international fair for holidays, travel and leisure. The Visit Russia office, which opened in Vienna on December 16, 2016, is designed to attract Austrian tourists to Russia.

Cooperation in history and memorials is an important element of bilateral ties. Austrian leaders recognise the Soviet Union’s decisive contribution to routing Nazism and liberating Europe from National Socialist (Nazi) oppression. They have tried to maintain the rejection of neo-Nazism and extremism in Austrian society and have taken good care of Soviet military graveyards and memorials in Austria in keeping with the 1955 war graves agreement.

The 2010 and 2015 editions of the Memory Book prepared by Austrian activists and published in Austria contain information about 80,000 Soviet citizens who perished and were buried in Austria during World War II. The book also includes addresses by President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Austria Heinz Fischer.

Much is being done in both countries to prevent the attempts to falsify history. The Joint Russian-Austrian Commission of Historians was established in December 2008 at the initiative of the Russian and Austrian academies of sciences to study the history of bilateral relations in the 19th and 20st centuries. A regular annual meeting of the commission was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in June 2016.

Russian and Austrian regions continue to strengthen their relations. In 2016, Austria hosted visits by a delegation from the North Caucasus Federal District led by Minister of North Caucasus Affairs Lev Kuznetsov, a delegation from Moscow led by Sergey Cheryomin, the head of the Moscow Government’s Department for Foreign Economic Activity and International Relations, a delegation from Tatarstan led by head of the republic Rustam Minnikhanov, and a delegation from the Moscow Region Duma led by Deputy Speaker Sergey Yudakov.