clear solidarity with great britain on the one hand but. did not decide to over sanctions. auster is one of those nine countries. but does it feel like you are being pressured because you are not united with a great britain on this no i do not see of course the question was i think. probably the british presentation held high plausibility otherwise all the members of the you would not have decided to make. your lattimer's declaration but in the question of the sanctions opinions different because of course there was no clear proof on the one hand and on the other hand still also was to question whether it was very reasonable to react with sanctions under braking the dialogue between russia and the western countries. as one of those

countries that is firmly convinced that it is necessary and will be less a series to keep up this dialogue and to talk. about all the matters security matters between russia and the west and the former swedish foreign minister carl bildt said austria's position is incompatible with e.u. membership while former alaskan foreign minister artie's sees this as a bad joke this is a quote is there risk asha's relationship with russell as well turn sour because of this i don't think so because all of the belgian government had a similar position luxembourg the country where the president of the commission comes from the same way as austria but also portugal carries slovakia cyprus malta it's in so far. it was a clear decision. from the alston side it was clear that we would still not go into

. actually you actually hit it on the nose that was going to be my second question because there are other countries also that aren't united with great britain on this issue why is your country being single out for criticism out for criticism innes expulsion. with r.t. and all that on the one hand there was no proof and there is no prove up to date if if the members of the. council probably got more information than we do have as observers and as they could then weeks all over the world. still there was no proof everybody. afterwards said that there was a high plausibility for the case but there was no proof and if there is no proof of course you also have to consider your reaction this is one side the other world is so vast there will be the presidency of the e.u.

in the second half of this year and i think that it will be one of the major tasks of austria not only tried to make good contributions for the salvation of problems but also for the relationship to important neighbors and russia is one of them or is the most important neighbor for you and then so it is was very clear for the austrian government not to take part that any sanctions or regime but try to keep up the relations with russia critics say the n. ow selectively invokes its traditional neutrality whenever it feels that its interests are jeopardized do you feel that your country's fairly accused of being the e.u. security policy of freeloader i do not think so auster is a neutral come through but all neutrality is only military neutrality it's. not

an ideological but i do not see your logical problem in this question of course on the one hand almost always will try to be to accept solidarity with the other you memos but of course it also will go its own way fight for its own position when it is convinced that it is necessary and all government was convinced that it was necessary in this case not to react spontaneously to fast but to keep open all the channels of information of dialogue of speaking about the problem as i can see no this is my personal says. to the development in the last days i think this was a right decision so this whole diplomat expulsion business do you thing it has any profound the fact i mean you keep diplomats out one day situation becomes better

and the new group comes in i mean besides half of those states that joined the u.k.'s measures expelled one single person h what is one person's departure really going to change. it is all a signal i guess probably the poisoning of the ancient. probably was a signal for somebody i do not know but also the reaction of the new countries certainly was a signal the sanctions signal that there is a red line in the relationship because we are not in the face of a cold war there should be. not only a better understand it but also better cooperation between russia and e.u. and of course every side has to look at its actions and reactions and therefore as far as i see it it probably was a signal signaling

a red line that the relationship if elin travel some cases should not go beyond a certain limit this was clear this cannot be nerve gas this cannot be. chemical weapons so despite the mutual diplomatic expulsions projects like the north stream two gas pipeline from russia to germany which was to supports are going to hant does this mean that the political gestures like kicking out diplomats are mostly for show. maybe. the question of north the law also is part of well the discussions. in this considerations about sanctions easily could be what i think is that you have to look at it from a reasonable point of view from a reasonable position and the position i see is the for germany this is an

important project germany has given up its nuclear capabilities it is highly dependent on energy from all sides and of course they are for an efficient. way of getting energy and this is certainly north stream is and will be important of course you can discuss appalled many things that are linked to it but i absolutely can understand the truman way of keeping the north through to project as one of the major contributions for its own energy security so nato is most ng its military preparedness in europe in case of a conflict with russia increasing the number of troops aircraft ships available for rapid deployment and that's up to the spy scandal broke out to nato be using this route to build up its presence closer to russian borders have been more so i do not

see that there is really a build up of late two forces against russia if you look at the strength of the forces military forces in russia and in neighboring countries you can see there's almost no soldiers no tanks no fighters in the baltic states or in some of the neighboring states and i don't see a real danger of what i see is that both sides should try to keep. the common trust the trust about their own ways. the common future if you look back through the last exercises. russia last year and you could see the heavy reactions from baltic countries. and also the way it was done in reality then you can see of course

there is quite a subjective feeling as subjective sensitive miss of danger on the one side maybe also on the russian side you can win it much better than i was i see there is no need to do so. not in the moment and also i would say not in the foreseeable future the ears planning to create a so-called military shango in europe that would see interstate borders scrapped from for moving military equipment and troops this is seen as a step forward to words accomplishing a european defense union that is supposed to reduce europe's dependence on nato do you think europe needs one. i think i am absolutely convinced that nato is important on the one hand but also european autonomy will be important because. it

is not only an economic union but also political and it only can be official political union if it also can kill itself for its own security we are only at the beginning i myself. rollerball twenty years ago organized the first european defense ministers meeting in vienna. since then there's been some progress but the progress is not so strong and now we are going into a new phase that european countries with the lead of france and germany will try to build up some own capabilities but this will not mean. that nato will lose its function on the contrary i think that both organizations. are necessary and will be will be there also in the next day kate right we're going

to take a short break right now when we're back we'll continue talking to a very near fassler bank they have former minister of national defense of austria discussing last year's perspective on europe's pressing issues stay with us. then walk by wagon that he will go back to watch. for you or you will pull you out of a. good obit in democracy and what about and i didn't do it will always be the good is it also. or no one to help home.

how much he's. going to. keep it or don't or don't let you people come up to the group. come on then you're not going about the holiday haven't i'm mad at the government the minimum time because i'm. not bad with the internet but oh november that i say i love them they're down to like about one hundred of them but i'll be on the news as it again is about. it's the cradle of jazz. so america is still very good we have. the old just jazz feeling. a city of climatic contrast trophies of alligators on the loose of poverty and crime are used by the least

swell members the mob frail clothes most. of street racing in the peace of the night this is new orleans itself a man who wants the best place in the world. when lawmakers manufacture consent instinctive public wealth. when the ruling class is protect themselves. in the final merry go round the sun be the one percent. we can all middle of the room. in the real news room.

and there are some was so much at all of them mama. i don't mama little bit of the best on your blog. the old read a little critique. i'm not critical of what if there could be chilcote you know don't you but you're one of the sort of. for me i knew a good thing is going to itself but mostly to do with not stiff the question is still yes but oh yes the chest but. here for everyone that is for you cocks a valve of the.

you mean you don't see. what the. no i meant is that. you speak french.

and we're back with their facile auburn former minister of national defense of last year and talking about the challenges facing australia says itself as a bridge builder between and west does it have enough weights and clout to change something between russia and the western world. because all. situated right that. was a line between western central europe east and central europe has many links to eastern europe and to solve the eastern europe and therefore i think sometimes we who have a little bit more. knowledge. about what is going on maybe sometimes understanding of people and politics is

a little bit different to other western european countries but i'm sure that. there is specific knowledge of politics. about the situation. reaches is very important and can be a good contribution of not only for dialogue but for cooperation and i'm convinced cooperation is important and will be needed from both sides it is important for russia and it is important for you because. into the sea between the countries politically economically and otherwise. politically not only for european affairs but also for the development in the middle east. it can obviously anyhow because europe is dependent on russian energy russia is dependent on industrial incentives and it

does still development coming from the european side so i asked yeah i have long been calling on the e.u. to ease its sanctions on russia and protested against adding more of the sanctions are hurting the austrian economy will business circles force fianna to do anything to change this. of course in austria the sanctions are not looked with great pleasure. but on the other hand almost always was willing of course to carry out common decisions coming from you and also will do it also in the future because a common european security policy is necessary and even if you have a different position or different opinion you have to follow that and also will do it. because otherwise we also would not be able to influence european policy and

politics with tried to do so in the sense of more. common project more dialogue between the two sides or yours is not the only country in the e.u. that has a moderate look on sanction engressia however the sanctions get extended unanimously year after year can there be a real difference in opinion within the e.u. about sanctions or they protest against and will never go beyond that. those countries that have more intense economic relations with russia like costa of us also because countries like italy and so on the are not so happy about it but they will follow the common european line this is very both and because otherwise also the weight of european union falls or the possibility sick of abilities of those countries within the e.u.

would be weakened and therefore is the sanctions or. is not will not be changed just by discussion but by change on the ground now as you mentioned vienna is presiding in the e.u. for the second half of the twenty a teen how can this be. we used to improve years relations with russia would other e.u. states listen to you. we will have the visit of. of president putin in june i guess this certainly will bring intense exchange of views of positions and we will try to use this opportunity already before of presidency in order to find out were. the moments where the fields were austere contact that this is not easy because of cause every side has.

relatively clear positions and you only can go step by step try to improve improve the relations and try to find solutions for minor problems in order to go and next step and to have a bigger progress on the whole and i think this way is something the austrian diplomats and lost in politics. well aware of and therefore will try to do so chess or sébastien curds says the country is planning to use its presence in the e.u. to work and securing its borders against new waves of migrants well this finally fixed a spat between the easter and western members over the refugee problem i think that now already all the european countries almost all the european countries are aware of this challenge of. not only refugees but migrants coming from africa coming from asian countries and if you look to the

demographic development this will not become a minor problem in the future but it the problem and the challenges will increase and therefore it is necessary to overthink european politics and also to establish new instruments and tools in order to have a better control at the goals of. of course if you need the consensus of twenty seven countries as we have to do in european union this is a long way this is difficult this is a proses that lasts but it's there is the clear will to do so because otherwise this what they jobs of the overall consensus within the e.u. all and therefore i am sure that we will find solutions in the coming months and i guess. that also will come through contributions quell the paid during its

presidency in the second half of this year by year old government used to support a refugee quota system and that's all changed now for vienna does that mean the refugee quote as the idea that countries have to accept a certain number of refugees whether they like it or not is gone for a good while the law it is the actual official ruling is that countries should always take more or less a certain number but of course you cannot enforce it within. europe against the will of the government and as i said already there is quite a lot of countries. against aids which occurred countries but also others in order to overtake specific quota. you only can. only execute such a rule if there is efficient border control but when the border control is not

efficient that nobody knows how many migrants will come tomorrow and the day after tomorrow they will not be ready to overtake and the use of efficient border controls the one side and trying to get efficient rules for distributing by grants and finding solutions on how to handle this challenge of course they go hand by hand part of last year's migrant integration strategy is a ban on face veils. but for right now only a dozen or so people have been charged since it came into force not so many people have been charged but actually one person one person that was charged will so was was in prison was wearing a giant bunny costume. he makes that makes us smile so i wanted to ask your opinion how effective do you think this ban really is i think this is not the most

important probably to have on the bike aeration issue certainly the most important thing is that people who come to australia have to learn the language have to be able to communicate with the others have to adapt to the rules and be ready to live here are the rules of the all-star government and not only the official rules was also the rules covering all the of society this is the most important one the other one is of course that you have to differ between those people who have the rights to stay here. this is the real refugees and migrants that only come to australia due to economic reasons because the. find a better job or earn more money than they can do with home but it's not possible to over think all those people from all the countries who have. lost their

payment that is is as high as we have it in austria and therefore you have to put the for very clearly between the refugees and migrants refuges which means people who have come to austria out of security reasons they have the right to stay here but they have to integrate and all the others they are selected all they have to go back because we cannot know what they billions and tens hundreds of millions. million people also of africa of of as a country right thank you so much mr fast lap for this interview we were talking to you there in a fast eleven former minister of national defense of austria discussing the diplomatic rift between russia and britain and what role awestricken play here and in other hear a pin issue is that is it for this edition of so i think oh i'll see you next time

. thank you all the best. bush will pull you out of the. mouth and say what about and i didn't do it will always be the good is it off the. shelf home. on a couch instead of the. deep that are done or don't let you come up to the group.

on ten you're not going to move them have at them and the minimum time because i'm . not bad with the internet but oh november the deficit has of them it is down to the point about anonymous and without. it and it is about. after weeks of media hysterics an official claims without a shred of evidence the case that russia was behind the solsbury poisoning incident is falling apart transparency in the rule of law have never played a role what happens next sadly is only too predictable. pranking gave americans a lot of job opportunities i needed to come up here to make some money i could make twenty five thousand dollars as a teacher or i could make fifty thousand dollars a year or drove

a truck so i chose to drive truck people who rush to a small town in north dakota was among the rate of zero percent like gold rush is a very very similar to a gold rush but this beautiful story ended with pollution and devastation a lot of people have left here i don't know too many. last two jobs that laid off the american dream is changing that's not what it used to be. it's a tough reality to deal with. was.

among about the about. the it. was. israel deploys time since my first of the gaza border where it's thought at least nine palestinians have been killed in an occupation protest. u.k. don't just say russian former spy said of palin is no longer in critical condition after long spawns poisoning insoles break as the british media continues to speculate where the nothing agent was produced. and former u.s. intelligence officers backed wiki leaks founder julian assange being forced offline by the ecuadorian embassy in london over comments about customer mia. dorrian government gave julian assange just citizenship but.