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Austrian ex-minister to lead Russian think tank

Austrian ex-foreign minister Karin Kneissl, who danced with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding, unveiled a new think tank attached to Saint Petersburg University Friday to operate under her leadership.

Published: 19 June 2023 10:58 CEST
Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl and Russian President Vladimir Putin dance during her wedding.
Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl and Russian President Vladimir Putin dance during her wedding in 2018 in Styria, Austria. (Photo by Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik / AFP)

In 2018, Karin Kneissl, then foreign minister of neutral Austria, made headlines when she invited Putin to her wedding and danced with him. The 58-year-old left the government the following year.

In a BBC interview in May 2023, Kneissl said she would dance with Putin again today, adding that she did not regret having asked him for a waltz.

“I have just presented this university institute with dean Nikolai Kropachev” at the St Petersburg economic forum, Kneissl confirmed to AFP.

The GORKI Centre — short for “Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues” — aims to “link academia with reality”, according to a brochure provided to AFP by Kneissl.

READ ALSO: Four ways Austria has changed after one year of war in Ukraine

It was set up to “bring together the academic potential” of St. Petersburg University and “practical experience in diplomatic activity”. The think tank also seeks to “help define the policies for the Russian Federation” with a focus on the Near and Middle East.

In 2021, Kneissl joined the Board of Directors of the Russian oil giant Rosneft.

She stepped down in May 2022 after the European Parliament passed a resolution threatening sanctions against Europeans still on the boards of major Russian companies.

Highly controversial in her native country, she has now settled in a small village in Lebanon.

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ACROSS EUROPE

German, Italian and Austrian presidents make joint call for strong Europe

The presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria called for a strong and united Europe in a joint letter published over the weekend ahead of June's European elections.

Published: 13 May 2024 09:50 CEST
German, Italian and Austrian presidents make joint call for strong Europe

The joint letter was carried in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera a month before the June 6-9 elections, where far-right parties are expected to do well.

“We see that the fundamental values—our values—of pluralism, human rights, and the Rule of Law are being challenged, if not openly threatened, all over the world,” wrote the three leaders.

“At stake here is none other than the foundations of our democratic order.”

Although they all hold largely ceremonial roles, the presidents are all tasked with ensuring respect for their countries’ constitutions.

“It is therefore essential to defend democratic institutions and values, the guarantees of freedom, the independence of the media, the role of democratic political oppositions, the separation of powers, the value of limits to the exercise of power,” wrote Italy’s Sergio Mattarella, Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Austria’s Alexander van der Bellen.

In Italy, the far-right Brothers of Italy party is in first place and credited with 27 percent in polls — while in Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is at 15 percent in second place behind the main centre-right party.

In Austria, The Freedom Party (FPO) is also expected to make gains.

While Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — head of the Brothers of Italy — is staunchly pro-NATO and pro-Kyiv, other far-right parties such Matteo Salvini’s League and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France are accused of being pro-Russian.

The three presidents said more European unity was necessary to confront those “who question basic democratic principles”.

“Our liberal democratic order is deeply intertwined with the unification of Europe: by anchoring ourselves to a European community of values and legal norms, we have presented to the world a coexistence based on democratic order and peace,” they said.

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