"We should not dance to the tune of Trump": why Austria refuses to follow the political course of Washington

Europe needs to implement a more independent policy and stop “dancing to the tune” of US President Donald Trump, said Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt. As an example, he cited Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from a nuclear deal with Iran, as well as a ban on trade with that country under the threat of sanctions.

“US President Donald Trump with no reason left the agreement with Iran on the atom, in the negotiations on which Washington participated for years, and also under the threat of sanctions, banned European companies from doing business with Iran. In my opinion, this is too much. Europeans should not dance to trump's tune. This also applies to other disagreements, ”says van der Bellen.

This is not the first statement by van der Bellen of this kind. In January 2019, he had already criticized Washington’s attempts to prevent the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline and the exit from the Iranian nuclear deal.

"The administration of US President Donald Trump treats the European Union and individual EU countries as colonies," he said in an interview with Der Standard.

Recall that the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (IFAP), also known as the “nuclear deal,” in May 2018. The agreement provided for limiting Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing the sanctions regime.

Donald Trump repeatedly called SVPD, signed by Barack Obama, “the worst deal in history”, and during his presidential campaign promised to take the USA out of it.

Soon after the release of the system, the Trump administration reinstated all sanctions against Iran and introduced a whole series of new measures that would restrict the economy and development of the Islamic Republic.

In addition, Washington threatened sanctions measures to European companies that will trade with Iran. In response, the governments of the United Kingdom, France and Germany created the INSTEX financial transaction mechanism (Instrument of Support for Trade Exchanges). Its main goal is to support trade relations between the EU and Iran, bypassing the sanctions of the US Treasury.

Economic disagreement

The interests of Austria and the United States on a number of issues vary greatly, said Vladimir Schweitzer, head of the department of social and political studies at the Institute of Europe, RAS, in a conversation with RT.

“Washington imposed duties on Austrian exports to the United States — and thereby caused economic damage to the country. Austria realized that the Americans are a problematic ally and behave freely. Americans want to put themselves above the Europeans. Naturally, Europeans do not like it. The statement of the President of Austria is an expression of the general protest of Europe, ”the expert noted.

While the Trump administration is pursuing a consistent anti-Iranian policy, Europe is looking for ways to dialogue and cooperate with Tehran, Vladimir Schweitzer added.

“Europe understands that Iran is not the easiest partner, but the country has huge oil reserves and a large army. Europe understands that you need to be friends with Iran, ”the expert explained.

Such protest statements by the Austrian president are primarily caused by economic circumstances, said Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at the IMEMO RAN.

“The steps taken by the United States often infringe the economic interests of European countries - the United States restricts the markets for services and goods. For the Austrian president, access to the Iranian market is important. The Iranian market is very capacious and could serve as a market for the absorption of goods produced in European countries, ”said the expert in an interview with RT.

Unlawful sanctions

In addition to disagreements with the United States over the nuclear deal with Iran, the Austrian authorities have repeatedly demonstrated dissatisfaction with Washington’s position on other issues. On March 12, Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneisl noted that Washington’s sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project and companies associated with it violate the system of international relations.

• Construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline
• © Nord Stream 2 / Aksel Schmidt

“I have always said, including to my colleague Pompeo, that pipelines are not built to annoy someone, they are built to transport gas. And Mrs. Merkel said the same thing. Here we are talking about commercial interests and topics, ”she said.

The minister recalled the adopted “European Gas Commission Directive, which includes many of the problems that were announced, including by the United States.”

“The punishment of certain enterprises is a format that does not fit into the international legal mechanisms and, from the point of view of international law, raises even more questions,” she noted.

The Nord Stream 2 project during its meeting with Donald Trump in February was supported by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz. According to the Chancellor, the project is necessary for his country to ensure energy security.

• Donald Trump and Sebastian Kurtz
• Reuters
• © Kevin Lamarque

Independent policy

Moscow has repeatedly noted that in making decisions on Nord Stream 2, Europe should proceed from its own interests. So, on March 15, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin announced this.

“We would like the European Union to act on the basis of its own interests, and not serve as a tool of foreign foreign policy,” the Russian diplomat said during his speech at the forum “Connecting Eurasia - from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean” in Brussels.

Pankin added that sanctions pressure is part of a policy of unfair and non-market competition, which forces both Russia and European states to make unprofitable economic decisions.

Austria’s position on the Nord Stream 2 project demonstrates the emergence of an independent policy in Europe, says Vladimir Schweitzer.

“Trump takes a sharply pro-American position, which does not always dock with European interests. Europe, being a neighbor of Russia, should build friendly relations with Moscow, but the Americans do not care. The United States violates the sovereign interests and rights of European countries that are already economically strong and do not feel dependent on Americans, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

New autonomy

In addition to the Iranian issue and the Nord Stream 2 project, the United States and Europe have other differences, said Vladimir Olenchenko.

“For example, NATO is a tool by which the US wants to ensure its continued presence in Europe and to force EU countries to support the American military-industrial complex. The United States is pushing European countries to quickly move to a standard of 2% of GDP for military spending. Currently, out of 28 countries, only 11 comply with this standard, ”the expert recalled.

According to him, there are also clear disagreements between the EU and the US on the issue of the cost of additional US units stationed in the Baltic countries, which these same countries should pay.

However, gradually Europe becomes more and more independent and more clearly declares its interests, Vladimir Olenchenko noted.

“The new generation of politicians who are now taking power in the EU countries already know how to think for themselves and are not ready to put up with the dominant role of Washington in Europe. When will Europeans move from statements to practical steps? Probably, when a critical mass of dissatisfaction with the actions of the United States accumulates or a complete change of European politicians takes place, ”the expert concluded.