For the first time since Prime Minister Schüssel visited the Bush White House in 2005, an Austrian Chancellor will again visit Washington DC this month.
Popular Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz, the youngest leader in Europe, will meet with President Trump in the White House in late February.
Kurz, a conservative leader, banned Muslim veils in Austrian classrooms last April.
Austrian news Kleine Zeitung reported (translated):
Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will be received in February by US President Donald Trump in the White House, according to information from the Kleinen Zeitung . This was confirmed by the Chancellery. A specific date should already have been fixed. From the 13th to the 17th of February the Chancellor is in Japan, a few days later it could be time.
The Chancellor’s office denies that the unusually prompt recognition of Juan Guaido as Venezuelan interim president by the Federal Chancellor in a certain context with the planned Trump visit, as is suspected in EU circles. Kurz had announced this step over the weekend on Twitter in English and Spanish. The Chancellor’s office says that they have been working on an appointment for a long time; such a one is only to be introduced over the long term via the US ambassador in Austria and other channels, the Konnex is “completely out of thin air”. In addition, already 19 EU countries, including Germany, France, Great Britain or even Sweden and Spain had recognized Guaido.
The so-called Lima group from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru called on the armed forces on Monday to submit to the command of Guaidó.
