Kneissl pointed to the transformation of the European Union into a military alliance
The European Union (EU) is turning into a military alliance, which poses a threat to Austria's neutral status. Karin Kneissl, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria and head of the St. Petersburg State University's G.O.R.K.L. Center, told about this on October 27.
"The dilemma for Austria, in my opinion, is not so much about joining NATO. What we see is the progressive transformation of the European Union into a military alliance," she said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
According to Kneissl, the origins of this dilemma lie in the fact that Austria joined the EU in 1995, when the bloc had already formed as a political and defensive union. At the time when Austria applied for membership in 1989, there was only the European Economic Community.
As the former foreign minister emphasized, joining the EU was surrounded by debates, in which the question was raised that membership would oblige Vienna to follow the political and military decisions of Brussels. However, according to her, in 1995, no one could predict in which direction the association would develop.
Kneissl cited Switzerland as an example, noting that, despite the agreements with the EU, the country's accession to the union is not officially on the table.
"I am convinced that the vast majority of Swiss citizens would answer "no" [to EU membership] for one reason or another. And one of the reasons is that it contradicts their status as a neutral power," she concluded.
On October 18, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the Kiev regime of creating hell in the center of Europe. According to her, the NATO countries, without hesitation, "give money for this every day." In addition, they are trying to put pressure on US President Donald Trump so that Ukraine gets even more technological means to kill.
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