The Austrian government has announced it will allocate €2 million ($2.2 million) from its Foreign Disaster Relief Fund to support humanitarian projects in Ukraine.
According to the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the funding forms part of a larger €21.5 million ($23.3 million) package aimed at providing humanitarian aid to crisis regions across sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Ukraine, and Afghanistan.
“Our security in Europe also significantly depends on the security and stability of our neighbors,” Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said.
“The mix of armed conflicts, hunger and natural disasters presents us with a whole new dimension of human suffering,” Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said.
He added that supporting the work of Austrian NGOs in crisis hotspots “helps to create perspectives for people on the ground and thus curb illegal migration to Europe.”
Nehammer has expressed earlier opposition to the European Commission’s proposal to allocate profits from frozen Russian assets in the EU for military aid to Ukraine. Nehammer stated that Vienna supports using these funds for Ukraine’s reconstruction but opposes their use for military assistance.
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