We need a courageous government to reject anti-Russian sanctions

Austria will hold the second round of its presidential election on May 22. Norbert Hofer of Austrian Freedom Party won first round and took 36% of the vote as candidates from the two governing parties fail to make runoff. Johannes Hübner,  Spokesman for Foreign and European Affairs of the Freedom Party shares party's position on anti-Russian sanctions, NATO and migration crisis in Europe.

Sanctions

In Europe, we can do nothing against the sanctions from the US of course. We could do a lot in Europe, but this had been done on the level of EU. Therefore, what we have to do is to block the renewal of sanctions in the next round of Council of Europe, of Ministers or of the head of states. Austrian government speech as if they were critical against the sanctions but so far they always support it. As long as government does not change, Austria will not stop supporting renewal of the sanctions. What we need is some courageous government that just say "no".

Can Austria join NATO?

I think there is a lot of resistance from the Free Block. There is vast majority against any idea of joining NATO. The EU in fact does not have its own defense system. We are more or less an appendix of NATO. Vast majority of European Union member states are NATO members. They want to enlarge NATO to all the member states instead of creating independent European Defense system.

Migrants

My personal idea is if a country like Austria is not ready to say stop, we are not taking anyone anymore migrating from the third world. If we do not say this we will not solve the problem. People know, once they are in Austria, they will never be deported, even if there is asylum application turned down they stay or because no deportation is taking. So if we don't change the narrative as Hungarians saying people: no way to come.  If you are from Nigeria or if you come from Pakistan, please, stay in the next save country if you are persecuted person in your own country but don't come to eight, nine, ten save countries that are not prosecuting you and go to Sweden or Austria, or Germany because it's a nicer life there, there you have more advantages in financial support.

Forthcoming elections

As the policy is about election process this is not something we can handle, because we are opposition.  We need majority decision of Parliament and we don't have majority now, we have only 46 of 180 seats. We can only wait for the government to collapse or for the pressure from the people to renew the system and we will see what people will decide. Our general policy is to keep on a burning issue that the migration in EU is far from to be solved.