Austrian, Greek officials to meet for talks over diplomatic tensions

Two senior Greek officials are to visit the Austrian capital Vienna for talks in May following an escalation in diplomatic tensions related to the refugee crisis, local media said Tuesday.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias as well as recalled ambassador Chryssoula Aliferi are scheduled to come for the talks on May 11, Der Standard newspaper confirmed.

The tensions between the two governments began when Austria hosted a conference with Western Balkans countries in late February concerning the Balkans migration route through which the refugees were streaming into Europe, and relevant measures to slow the stream down.

Greece however was not invited to the conference, leading to fears that the measures to then be implemented without its involvement would lead to many refugees stranded in its territory. This prompted outrage from Athens and led to the recalling of the ambassador to Austria.

The view from Athens is that the political nature of the situation has not changed and that Greece is still bearing the greatest burden from the refugee influx, the newspaper said.

It was noted however that talks between Kotzias and Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz, who had extended the invitation for the visit, would provide an opportunity to discuss the differences.

Kurz's ministry also confirmed the two officials have already been on speaking terms, both via telephone a number of times and at EU meetings. Endit