Could Austria be the next country to discuss joining NATO?

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger has announced that her country is ready to discuss abandoning its traditional policy of military neutrality.

Speaking to Die Welt, Meinl-Reisinger acknowledged that the idea of joining NATO does not have broad support within the country, but argued that it is necessary to question current security policies in the face of “Russia’s increasing aggression.”

Neutrality alone does not protect us

Meinl-Reisinger stated, “One thing is clear: neutrality alone does not protect us,” noting that Austria is increasing its defense investments and strengthening its relationships with partners in response to an “increasingly uncertain global security environment and an increasingly aggressive Russia.”

The minister said that there is currently no majority in the Austrian parliament or among the public to support joining the North Atlantic Alliance, but added, “However, such a discussion could be quite productive.”

Meinl-Reisinger expressed that her goal is not a “triumphant entry into NATO” but that the world has changed, and she finds the perspective of “if we don’t bother anyone, no one will bother us” to be “naive.”

EU membership has changed neutrality

The minister said that Austria already has a partner in the European Union (EU) that can protect the country in extraordinary circumstances and that Vienna “makes a significant contribution to European security.”

Recalling that the Austrian army participates in the EU’s peacekeeping missions, Meinl-Reisinger assessed, “From this perspective, Austria’s neutrality has changed significantly since joining the EU in 1995.”

Austria’s military neutrality has been constitutionally guaranteed since 1955. However, as stated on the country’s parliamentary website, the issue of abolishing neutrality has been raised repeatedly since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Chancellor Christian Stocker, who took office in the spring, ruled out the possibility of Austria joining NATO, following the example of Sweden and Finland, in a statement made in May.

Moscow’s reaction: Austria and neutrality are incompatible

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova believes that “the concepts of Austria and neutrality are incompatible.”

Zakharova cited the “uninterrupted” shipment of Western weapons through Austrian territory as the reason for this situation.

The spokesperson said in a 2023 statement that Vienna “unconditionally sides with the West’s hostile policy towards Russia.”