Joint Statement on the Strategic Dialogue between the United States and Austria

Office of the Spokesperson

The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Austria on the occasion of the U.S.-Austria Strategic Dialogue.

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The Governments of the United States and Austria held the U.S.-Austria Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C. on March 3, 2022, which included virtual consultations between Austrian Secretary General for Foreign Affairs Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

The United States and Austria, also in its capacity as a member state of the European Union, are dedicated to deepening the Transatlantic relationship and strengthening our commitment to our shared values of advancing democracy and human rights and condemning Russia’s unjustified, unprovoked and premeditated war against Ukraine, including through multilateral action at the United Nations. Both parties expressed firm dedication to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We acknowledge the European aspirations of Ukraine, welcome its European choice, and support its political association and economic integration with the EU. The United States and Austria support the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people. We fully support the objective of European integration of the Western Balkan countries.

In the framework of our Strategic Partnership, the United States and Austria emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Austria relationship in addressing Transatlantic issues. The Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C. focused on common interests and shared values, reaffirming the dedicated bilateral relationship between the United States and Austria and our joint commitment to enhance cooperation on a broad range of topics, such as establishing a civil society dialogue and fostering educational and people-to-people exchanges.

Topics discussed during the Strategic Dialogue included global and regional security issues, including Russia’s attack on Ukraine; the Western Balkans; energy security, including climate change; economic prosperity; and strengthening democratic values and institutions through the OSCE in Europe and Eurasia and in our own countries. The United States and Austria highlighted their common concern about ongoing disregard for the Helsinki Final Act by Russia and Belarus and consulted on the importance of the OSCE in reaching diplomatic resolutions to regional conflicts. Concerning the ongoing Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiations, both sides reaffirmed the need to come to a swift conclusion. The United States thanked Austria for hosting the JCPOA talks.

The Strategic Dialogue was hosted by the U.S. Department of State and included interagency and inter-ministerial representatives from both governments. The meeting featured senior U.S. representatives from the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Commerce, and from the Austrian side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance.

Both sides expressed a strong interest in continuing and deepening the bilateral strategic partnership. The parties plan to hold the next meeting in Vienna in the first half of 2023.

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