Austrian Foreign Minister: Art and culture have a pivotal role in light of the current war and immigration crises

Vienna- Alexander Schallenberg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, confirmed today that the world is currently experiencing many difficult crises, especially the war in Ukraine, stagflation, migratory movements, the energy crisis, climate change and the exacerbation of humanitarian crises, pointing to the special importance of art and culture in these circumstances.

This came in a speech by the Austrian Foreign Minister on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Ministry's initiative to support art and culture in Austria and abroad.

The minister stated that the country's creativity in art, culture and science is much greater than its geographical size, so it is important for us to make this potential more prominent at the international level in the future.

Schallenberg said that cultural diplomacy has been an integral part of Austrian foreign policy for more than 50 years.

Schallenberg pointed out that the ministry was able to build a global cultural network that holds thousands of events in a variety of artistic fields every year, as the focus is on supporting Austrian artists abroad, especially young artists.