Austria fears that the European Union will become a “colony” of Russia, the United States, China, and other world powers. The President of the country, Alexander van der Bellen, said that Europe needs to pay more attention to foreign policy and security in order to prevent such a development.
The politician spoke about forecasts that by 2030-2040, four players — Russia, the United States, China, and the EU-will take the leading positions in the international geopolitical arena. He noted that it is difficult for the EU countries to always have a common position on the foreign policy agenda, but it is important to strive for positive changes in this area.
“We are Europeans and we can be proud of this without arrogance. I also see the need for better coordination in our defense policy, “ Van der Bellen said. He also touched on the topic of climate change. According to him, over the next 20 years, the efforts of the international community to combat the deterioration of the environmental and climate situation on the planet will change the oil and gas market. The politician noted that this will greatly affect Russia.
Earlier, the Austrian foreign minister said that the European Union does not want to give Belarus into the hands of Russia and seeks to bring the country closer to Europe. The diplomat noted that the rapprochement of Belarus with the European Union is an important strategic challenge for European leaders. He added that at the moment he still considers it necessary to restrict air traffic and introduce new sanctions due to the situation with the emergency landing of the Ryanair plane in Minsk.
