(Communicated by the Foreign Minister's Bureau)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Avdigdor Lieberman met today (16 January 2013) with Foreign Minister of Austria Sebastian Kurz to discuss bilateral and international issues.

After the meeting Minister Lieberman said: "We were pleased that bilateral ties between Israel and Austria are stronger than ever. We hope to increase the cooperation with Austria in the international arena. We are concerned about the increase of antisemitism in Europe. I am grateful for the efforts of Minister Kurz as Secretary for Integration against racism and for peaceful coexistence in Austria. We hope that Austria will be a leader in the fight against antisemitism.”

Minister Kurz stated: “Israel is a close friend and we pay special attention to the Israeli needs keeping in mind our historical responsibility. We paid tribute to US efforts on the Middle East peace process led by US Secretary of State John Kerry, and agreed that the current negotiations provide a unique opportunity to end the conflict once and for all. We also discussed the unprecedented package of security, political and economic support the European Union will provide to the parties in the event of a final status agreement."