Turkey and Austria agree to normalise ties after months of tensions

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that Turkey and Austria were looking to normalise relations after months of tensions between Ankara and Vienna.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his Austrian counterpart Karin Kneissl, Cavusoglu said: “We’ve agreed to normalise our relations.” 

Ties between the two countries soured in 2016, due to restrictions imposed by Austrian authorities on Turkish politicians who wanted to campaign in the country ahead of a key referendum in Turkey. The campaigns seeked to address Turks living in Austria ahead of a vote on constitutional changes in Turkey.

Ankara had also sharply criticised the Austrian government for what it considered to be illiberal integration policies, its populistic rhetoric and failure to take a strong stance against growing racism and Islamophobia.