Off the wire
• Putin bemoans market dominance of Visa, MasterCard  • Hunting spring season in Malta terminated as protected bird shot  • Western Sanctions cost Russia 160 bln USD, but country still strong, says Putin  • Russian motorcyclists denied entry to Poland, return to Belarus  • IAEA chief stresses commitment to "safety first" in nuclear energy use  • Burundi gov't arrests protester against president's third term  • U.S. govt recommends less fluoride in drinking water  • Gambia signs food improvement agreement with Chinese firm  • Nairobi to host Africa Volleyball championship  • Ukraine reiterates commitment to European integration  
You are here: 　 Home

Austria marks 70th anniversary of founding of post-WWII republic

Xinhua, April 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

Austria marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of its Second Republic, that has existed since the end of the Second World War, in a state ceremony on Monday.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer led the ceremony at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, which also included other participants such as Chancellor Werner Faymann and President of Germany Joachim Gauck.

Fischer said it must not be forgotten that many Austrians celebrated the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, and not that Austria was simply the "first victim."

He said the end of the war and the independence declaration on April 27 provided a "rebirth" and a "day of a new beginning" after years of an "inhuman dictatorship, a terrible war, and the incomprehensible Holocaust."

The provisional government that had been put into place at the end of the war signed Austria's declaration of independence on April 27, 1945, thus establishing a continuance of the Austrian republic.

It was signed at the time by three parties, the Socialist Democrats (SPOe), the People's Party (OeVP), and the Communist Party (KPOe). Endit