Schallenberg interview

“Unfortunately, my day also only had 24 hours”

Federal Chancellor and Foreign Minister: Alexander Schallenberg

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

Alexander Schallenberg came to ministerial honors rather unexpectedly. As a recognized diplomat in the Foreign Ministry, he was actually brought into the expert government by Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein in 2019 as a temporary solution - and remained at Minoritenplatz for six years. He had to step in twice as Federal Chancellor. He took stock in the Krone interview. 

Krone: You were Foreign Minister and twice Federal Chancellor in turbulent times. What will be the first thing you do when you are no longer in office?
Schallenberg: Probably find some peace and quiet. At least I hope so. Of course, I'll have to reorganize my life at the same time. And I want to consciously spend a lot of time with my family.

Some colleagues said: sleep ...
(laughs) That has always been my weak point. I get by on very little sleep, that's always been the case and it's not going to change.

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen had to entrust Alexander Schallenberg with the official duties of Federal Chancellor twice.

(Bild: GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Your term of office included Brexit, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the war between Israel and Hamas and the war in Ukraine. What was the biggest challenge?
Without making a downgrade now: The Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, October 7, 2023 and Corona . Why? Because we perhaps underestimated how disruptive the pandemic was for us as a society. How much we interfered with the rights of individuals at the time. Then, of course, the return of war to our continent. And then certainly October 7, the Hamas attack on Israel. I can remember it exactly. It was a Saturday lunchtime when I was called and asked the question: How good are your stomach nerves? And then I was sent videos and photos that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

I once asked the AI: What were the defining events of Alexander Schallenberg's time as Federal Chancellor, and it spit out compulsory vaccination in 2022. Are you happy with the result?
I would have a completely different order, of course. I took a very clear pro-transatlantic line. I had a clear line on the Russian war of aggression. Likewise when it comes to the Middle East. But of course I can understand that compulsory vaccination is also on this list.

Could it have been handled differently?
Did I act flawlessly? No, no one is flawless. As a government, you have to act immediately in every crisis. At the time, we acted to the best of our knowledge and belief. With today's knowledge, we would act completely differently.

What are you particularly proud of during your time in office?
It's up to others to judge that in obituaries. I haven't died yet. As Federal Chancellor in 2021, I ensured that the government continued to work in a stable manner. As Foreign Minister, I revitalized the neighbourhood policy. There was a significant intensification of our relations with the USA. Secretaries of State Mike Pompeo and Antony Blinken were here and I was with both of them in the USA. And that within five years. That is extraordinary for Austria. And there was nothing to interpret about our position on anti-Semitism and Israel.

Foreign Minister Schallenberg with his counterpart Antony Blinken in Washington

(Bild: Michael Gruber)

Who was particularly difficult to work with?
There are people everywhere. And that's the beauty of it. People always think they are systems of apparatus. Sometimes it works because two people can smell each other.

Is it really possible to make friends?
There are some people I particularly appreciate. The foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia or India. I'm also thinking of Xavier Bettel, the Luxembourger. Or Ivan Korcok from Slovakia. The former Egyptian foreign minister was there at the Opera Ball. And I was really pleased to see him again.

Will there be a comeback in politics?
I am currently resigning from all political offices. The beauty of human life is that we don't know our future.

Schallenberg in an interview with "Krone" foreign policy editor Clemens Zavarsky

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

Is there any highlight that you particularly like to think about?
There are many images that actually stay with you for the rest of your life. And I regret that I wasn't able to do everything I wanted to do. My day also only had 24 hours. But so did my team. I really appreciate the fact that they were always there for me.