AUSTRIA, September 18 - The 77^th annual General Assembly of the United Nations will take place in New York from 20 to 26 September 2022. This year’s gathering will be largely centred around the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Austria will be represented by Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, who is expected to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday evening. The Foreign Minister’s busy schedule also includes numerous meetings with his counterparts from around the world, as well as a discussion with Jewish organisations.

In advance of the UN General Assembly, the EU foreign ministers met in New York to explore the geopolitical impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to plan their ongoing common approach. Once again, Austria will advocate for a decisive, uniform, and measured approach:

The important thing is for us to pursue a common goal with our like-minded partners in the next few days. We must counteract the Kremlin’s narrative, expose the Russian propaganda machinery, and continue to stand in solidarity with Ukraine and its population. Where else, if not at the UNO in New York, can we jointly ensure that international law overrules ‘might makes right’ and that a rule-based world order will endure?  This is essential especially for a country like Austria,

said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

In addition to meetings with his EU counterparts, the Austrian foreign minister will meet with more than a dozen foreign ministers from Africa and Asia for bilateral talks. That includes meetings with his counterparts from Armenia (Ararat Mirsojan) and Azerbaijan (Jeyhun Bayramov), Rwanda (Vincent Biruta), India, (Subrahamyam Jaishankar), Kyrgyzstan (Zheenbek Kulubaev), Qatar (Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani), Uzbekistan (Vladimir Norov) and Iran (Hossein Amir-Abdollahian).

The war may be taking place on the European continent, but it is truly not a European war. All over the world, people are feeling the effects of the attack by Russia’s President Putin, which is in violation of international law – whether it is due to food scarcity, the increased energy costs, or cut-off supply chains. The Kremlin is using grain and gas as weapons, fuelling global crises that are plunging millions of people into poverty and need. The food crisis is acting as an accelerator for humanitarian crises worldwide. In this context, I also want to note that the EU sanctions have nothing to do with the food shortage. Because there are absolutely no sanctions regarding grain, fertilizer, or gas,

said Foreign Minister Schallenberg, explaining the background for the meetings with his counterparts from around the world.

The working trip to New York will culminate with Foreign Minister Schallenberg’s speech to the UN General Assembly, scheduled for Thursday night, which will also be largely focussed on the turning point of 24 February.

Aside from the political events, Foreign Minister Schallenberg will also be meeting with representatives of Jewish organisations and will take part in the granting of Austrian citizenship to direct descendants of victims of the Nazi regime:

The opportunity to present this citizenship is very moving to me. Keeping the memory of the Shoah alive and fighting antisemitism in every form is our moral and political obligation – we want to thank our new Austrians for putting their trust in us, which we will treat with the greatest care,

said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, in appreciation of the fact that more than 17,000 such citizenship requests have already been fulfilled worldwide.