Odd diplomatic mystery in Austria today

There's a strange event that went on this weekend in the state of Graz in Austria.

Russian President came to the wedding of Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, an independent sponsored for her post by from the far right national coalition party Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ) on Saturday. The FPÖ which has had a formal "working agreement" with Putin's Russia United party since 2016. (Rechtspopulisten und Putin-Partei rücken enger zusammen FAZ 19.12.2016) The FPÖ/Russia United agreement commits them to the "strenthening of friendship and raising the young generation in the spirit of patriotism and joy in labor." Yes, that does have a bit of an "Arbeit macht Frei" ring to it. [Updated 08/19/2018: Italicized portion added to clarify that Kneissl was backed by the FPÖ to be the Foreign Minister although she is formally not a member of the party.]

Sebastian Kurz' government is officially describing Putin's visit as a "working visit." (Katharina Mittelstaedt und Walter Müller, Ein russischer Chor, doch kein US-Vertreter zu Gast bei Kneissl Standard 18.08.2018) Russia expert Gerhard Mangott has described this Putin visit to a European Foreign Minister's wedding as highly unusual for Putin, maybe unique. (Katharina Mittelstaedt und André Ballin, Putin bei Kneissls Hochzeit: Liebesgrüße aus Moskau Standard 16.08.2018) "Es ist ein protokollarisch und diplomatisch völlig außergewöhnliches Ereignis." ("According to protocol and diplomatic practice, it is a completely exceptional incident.")

Mittelstaedt und Ballin also report that when Karin Neissl herself was on a trip to Moscow in April, the Russian Foreign Minister brushed off the idea that Austria could play any role in mediating in the Syrian conflict. And Putin himself turned down her request for a personal meeting then.

Othmar Karas, a member of the European Parliament for the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the party of Chancellor Kurz, recently framed the issue of Austrian and European relations to Russia this way:

ie können wir die großen wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Unterschiede in Europa ausgleichen, die es nach wie vor gibt? Wie können wir angesichts der Autokraten vor unserer Haustür Demokratie und Rechtsstaatlichkeit starken und unumkehrbar machen? Wie kann Europa eine globale Rolle spielen, damit wir nicht zwischen China, den USA und Russland wirtschaftlich und sicherheitspolitisch aufgerieben werden? Keine dieser Fragen kann Österreich oder ein anderer europäischer Staat alleine beantworten.

[How can we level out the large economic and social differences in Europe, which we have now as earlier? In view of the autocrats just outside our door, how can we strengthen democracy and the rule of law and make it irreversible? How can Europe play a global role so that economically and in security matters we won't be worn down between China, the US, and Russia? Neither Austria nor any other European state can answer any of these questions alone.]

But Kurz' government this year has seemed to spend little time on activities to promote common EU actions, even though he is currently serving a six-month term as the President of the Council of the EU. But his government has been doing political stunts to reinforces it reputation for being tough on immigration.

Karas goes on to explain:

Auch der österreichische Blick auf Russland wird von vielen EU-Partnern skeptisch beäugt. Ohne Zweifel ist Russland für Österreich ein traditionell enger Partner, vor allem was die Wirtschaftsbeziehungen betrifft. Doch dass die Regierungspartei FPÖ mit der Partei »Einiges Russland« von Präsident Wladimir Putin eine »Vereinbarung über Zusammenwirken und Kooperation« unterhält, ist doch mehr als ungewöhnlich. Und Österreich gehört zu einer Minderheit von EU-Staaten, die nach dem Giftgasanschlag in Salisbury die nicht aus Solidarität mit Großbritannien zumindest symbolisch einen russischen Geheimagenten mit Diplomatenpass ausgewiesen haben. Das war eine politische Entscheidung, die nichts mit den völkerrechtlichen Verpflichtungen aus dem Neutralitätsgesetz zu tun hat. Schließlich kritisieren österreichische Politiker zunehmend das an sich fast fertig verhandelte.

[... the Austrian {government's} view of Russia is seen skeptically by many EU partners. No doubt that Russia is traditionally a close partmer of Austria, especially on economic issues. That the government party FPÖ has an "Agreement on Joint Endeavors and Cooperation" with the Russia United party of Vladimir Putin, is certainly more than unusual. And Austria is among a minority of EU states, that after the poison gas attack in Salisbury on a Russia secret agent with a diplomatic passport did not at least symbolically express. That was a political decision that had nothing to do with obligations undert international law in the Neutrality Law. Eventually Austria politicians increasingly criticized it after it had almost been dealt with.]

Putin's main business in middle Europe this weekend is almost certainly the meeting he has scheduled with Germany's Angela Merkel later on Saturday.