Turkish FM to visit Austria on Thursday

By Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will meet his Austrian counterpart in Vienna on March 8, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

Cavusoglu and Karin Kneissl will discuss “bilateral relations, regional and international issues at the meeting,” the statement said.

The two ministers met on Jan. 25 after months of tensions between the two countries.

Ties between the two countries soured in 2016 due to Austrian restrictions on Turkish politicians who wanted to campaign in the country ahead of a key referendum in Turkey. The campaign targeted Turkish nationals living in Austria.

Ankara has also sharply criticized Vienna for what it considers illiberal integration policies as well as its populistic rhetoric and failure to take a strong stance against growing racism and Islamophobia.

Cavusoglu will also attend the official opening ceremony of the Yunus Emre Institute in Vienna and meet with representatives of the Turkish community in the country, according to the statement.

Since its establishment in 2009, the institute has taught Turkish to nearly 100,000 people in 43 countries.

Named after the 13th-century poet Yunus Emre, the institute now has over 50 cultural centers around the world, offering artistic, social and scientific programs.