After criticism over its alleged silence, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) has clarified its positions on U.S. policy toward Venezuela and Greenland. Developments in Venezuela should be assessed “coolly and in realpolitik terms,” foreign policy spokeswoman Susanne Fürst said in a statement on Wednesday. On Greenland, she told the APA that the interests of the local population were the “most decisive issue” and said she opposed any military intervention.
“The United States is a central security policy actor and—like any major power—acts on the basis of its national interests,” Fürst said with reference to the abduction of head of state Nicolás Maduro. She noted that Venezuela has not been a democratic constitutional state for years, that there have been no free and fair elections, and that former U.S. President Joe Biden had also placed a bounty on Maduro. She added that the U.S. intervention had so far not led to a large-scale military conflict and that a democratic transition was in the interest of the Venezuelan population.
FPÖ calls for Austrian foreign policy ‘restraint’
Fürst argued more broadly for “restraint.” “Foreign policy is not a place for party-political self-promotion. Austria is a small, neutral country with many problems of its own. In foreign policy, the priority is protecting one’s own population, which above all means staying out of conflicts and wars that are not ours. That applies to Venezuela just as it does to Ukraine,” said the deputy to FPÖ parliamentary leader Herbert Kickl. She also suggested Austria could act as a mediator.
On Greenland, Fürst told the APA that the United States and Denmark have “a long shared history.” “As for Greenland’s future, the key question should be how and in what framework the people of Greenland themselves believe their interests are best represented. From our perspective, it is important that there is no military intervention or use of force.”
‘Anyone seeking to be chancellor must represent Austria abroad’
The ÖVP and NEOS had previously criticized the FPÖ for failing to take a clear stance on these foreign policy issues, suggesting deference or even sympathy toward U.S. President Donald Trump. “Kickl’s silence is not an oversight, it’s a method: when things get complicated, he hits ‘mute,’” ÖVP Secretary General Nico Marchetti said in a statement. “Anyone who wants to be chancellor must also be able to represent Austria internationally.”
NEOS MEP Helmut Brandstätter accused Kickl of “demonstratively” siding with Trump despite signals of a possible invasion of Greenland. FPÖ MEP Harald Vilimsky responded by attacking NEOS support for the Mercosur trade agreement and what he called “Brussels warmongering,” without addressing Brandstätter’s substantive criticism.
