Austrian chancellor praises Sunak for plan to extradite him to Rwanda

During British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to Vienna on Tuesday, the Austrian chancellor hailed the United Kingdom as a “pioneer” country in outsourcing illegal immigrants to destinations outside Europe, citing plans to send migrants to Rwanda.

President Karl Neuhammer’s conservative party has long taken a tough stance on migration and the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) faces a major challenge in upcoming national elections scheduled for the fall.

Nehhammer said Austria and the United Kingdom, which will leave the EU in 2020, are “strategic partners when it comes to conducting asylum procedures in safe third countries”.

“The United Kingdom is a pioneer on this path, which will also be important for the European Union,” he announced at a joint press conference with Sunak.

“The Rwanda project is a pioneer in putting asylum procedures in safe third countries on the agenda of the European Union”, he argued.

Austria is one of 15 EU countries that last week called for additional agreements with countries on migration routes.

The request comes after EU member states approved sweeping reforms under the Treaty on Migration and Asylum.

In late April, the UK Parliament passed legislation to send migrants to Rwanda, paving the way for deportation flights later this summer. Sunak’s controversial plan was intended to prevent dangerous Channel crossings from reaching the UK.

Activists and human rights groups have vowed to continue fighting against the law, which they say is immoral and inhumane.

Sunak advocated “searching for new ideas, solutions and deterrents – deportations to safe third countries – like the UK’s pioneering plan for Rwanda”.

“Many countries are now agreeing that this is what is needed: to look at bold, innovative, country-safe partnerships,” the British prime minister said.