Hungarian-Austrian Forum for Peace and Neutrality

 

Vienna, Sunday, May 14, 2023 

A social forum was held in Vienna on Friday evening to defend the neutrality of Austria and to claim the neutrality of Hungary, the Hungarian Community for Peace announced on Sunday.

The meeting was organized by the Austrian Social Coalition for Peace and Neutrality with the aim of joining forces with the Hungarian Peace Community and the Hungarian Forum for Peace movement for the peace of the Austrian and Hungarian people and for neutrality in face of the conflict in Ukraine.

Wilhelm Langthaler, the leader of the Austrian coalition, proposed joint actions against those who want Austria to give up its constitutional neutrality and side with those who want to go to war with Russia.

As an invited speaker at the forum, Endre Simó, president of the Peace Community of Hungary, considered it to be in the common interest of the two countries that Hungary should not allow itself to be dragged into war, pursue an active policy of neutrality, and together with Austria refrain from adding fuel to the fire.

"We expect that the demand for neutrality in Europe, primarily in Eastern and Central Europe, will increase to the same extent that the Russians achieve their triple goal of de-Nazification, demilitarization and neutrality of Ukraine," he said.

Simó agreed with the organization of joint actions for the sake of peace. Both sides called it important to broaden cooperation with similar peace movements in other Central and Eastern European countries.

The Austrian audience participating in the forum saw the possibility of a peaceful solution to the conflict revealed in neutrality. Some suggested a Swiss-Austrian-Hungarian-Balkan neutrality alliance for it. It was considered important for the peace movement to confront the business world with its interests against sanctions. One commenter drew attention to the fact that weapons are being shipped to Ukraine through neutral Austria, and the government in Vienna is allowing it.

Even though Austria is neutral, if, as a member of the European Union, it subjects itself to an alliance that arms Kiev, it will actively participate in the conflict on the side of Ukraine, against Russia, they said. One speaker expressed the opinion that it would be a disaster for Europe if Russia could not achieve its triple objective in the framework of the special military operation in Ukraine. The United States is ready to sacrifice Europe against Russia to protect the interests of the background power, it was said.

In his response to what was said, the president of the Hungarian Peace Community expressed his joy for the unity for peace and neutrality included in the joint statement on February 24. We will experience many developments and surprises in the coming times, which may lead to profound social changes in the life of Europe. We have to prepare for this with all our knowledge, he said.

Since we clearly want a world order of peaceful cooperation instead of the current world of confrontation, we must be able to meet the new requirements of the multipolar international world order to play a role in managing the life of our countries in accordance with our people's desire for peace. In creating a political-social system that has no interest in warfare anymore.

The Vienna peace forum will be followed by one in Budapest on June 2, where the invited speaker will be Wilhelm Langthaler, head of the Austrian Social Coalition for Peace and Neutrality.

~ Edited by Hungarian Community for Peace