President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted Austria's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as progress on the path to European integration.
"I cannot but note the practical support of Austria on Ukraine's European integration path. This includes expert and technical assistance in the implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union," the Ukrainian President said in a statement to the media following a meeting with Federal President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen in Vienna.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, today the presidents of the two countries exchanged views on the existing challenges to European security.
"We agreed that the common positions and actions of the international community to overcome hybrid threats are extremely important," the President of Ukraine said.
He also thanked the Austrian party for its continued support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"Today I heard about Austria's full support for these positions. Once again, I thank Mr. President and every Austrian," the Ukrainian President stressed.
Separately, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Alexander Van der Bellen discussed and coordinated their positions on the issue of regional security, in particular, the domestic political situation in Belarus.
"I would like to note that the dialogue between Ukraine and Austria is not limited to issues of politics, security, economy and investment. Our countries have good dynamics in the fields of culture, humanitarian projects and people-to-people contacts. Evidence of this was the Year of Culture of Ukraine in Austria held in 2019," the President of Ukraine said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Alexander Van der Bellen for the invitation and meaningful talks.
The Federal President of Austria noted that during the meeting the interlocutors discussed in detail the situation in eastern Ukraine, as well as in Crimea.
"I expressed my gratitude and respect to President Zelenskyy for the bold and courageous initiatives he has proposed, especially with regard to the civilian population in these regions," Alexander Van der Bellen said.
He stressed that some initiatives of the President of Ukraine have already yielded results, in particular on the mutual release of detainees and reaching agreements on a ceasefire in Donbas.
Alexander Van der Bellen noted that Austria and the EU support the work of the OSCE Mission to Ukraine and appreciate the role of the Trilateral Contact Group and the work they are doing in the framework of the Minsk negotiation process.
According to him, Austria is concerned about the lives of people living in the conflict zone, so the Austrian authorities provide appropriate humanitarian assistance, including to internally displaced persons.
"I am very pleased that in the framework of the visit of the President, we were able to confirm that we will provide assistance in the amount of one million euros to further support these regions," the Federal President of Austria added.
