Dialog with Russia should continue despite neo-imperial war it wages - Austria’s top diplomat

Shallenberg stated this in an interview with the APA agency at the end of his visit to the the general debate of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"Of course we should. We also have relevant platforms, either in the UN or, for example, in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Such organizations have never been clubs of like-minded people. This dialogue has always been very difficult, even in the times of the Cold War. We must not forget that," Shallenberg said, commenting on the question of whether the international community should engage more in a dialog with Russia.

According to the Austrian minister, there are many global issues, from climate to disarmament, "where we can only make progress if we talk to Moscow." At the same time, he admitted that Russia is making a neo-imperialist attempt to seize another state.

"From our Western point of view, of course, it is difficult. Russia is trying in a neo-imperialist way to simply take over another state. This is not a situation where we can sit back and do nothing, because it is a matter of our own security. We live at the expense of that everyone, regardless of whether they have nuclear weapons or not, abides by international law," he added.

In addition, Schallenberg pointed to a multipolar world and "different centers of power" – the United States, Europe, China, and Russia. "I think that the most important thing from our point of view is to keep the channels of dialog open, to speak as equals, based on respect, and not to lecture anyone with an index finger raised," he said.

As reported by Ukrinform, the  Federal President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen , and top diplomat Alexander Schallenberg, while in New York for the UNGA session, advocated the reform of the UN Security Council, whose current structure emerged as a result of the Second World War and no longer corresponds to the realities of the modern world.