Austrian President pays first state visit to Belgium since corona outbreak
On Monday, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife began their three-day visit to Belgium. It is the first state visit to our country since the corona outbreak.
This morning, President Van der Bellen and the Austrian First Lady Doris Schmidauer were received at the Royal Palace by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. Later today, the Austrian President and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo will meet at the Egmont Palace. Van der Bellen will also be a guest at the Senate and the Chamber of
Representatives and at the Brussels Town Hall. The first day of the state visit will be concluded with an official dinner at the Castle of Laken.
Tuesday morning, the President and his wife will visit the research centre VEG-i-TEC, a testing ground for the potato and vegetable processing industry, which was hit by a fire last Friday. Because mainly the outside of the research centre in Kortrijk was damaged, the visit will probably take place anyway. A visit to the large former industrial site Tour & Taxis in Brussels and the historic city of Bruges are also on the agenda.
On Wednesday, President Van der Bellen and his wife will meet climatologist Jean-Pascal van Ypersele and visit the Hergé Museum.
"This State visit reiterates the close historical and cultural ties between our two countries and their willingness to act together in order to face current and future challenges, such as the conflict in Ukraine and its consequences, technological transformation and sustainable innovation in the framework of the Green Deal, as well as the strengthening of European and multilateral partnerships," the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs says.
The last state visit between Austria and Belgium dates back to 1997.
Press release Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs
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