On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War [1], Minister Gerald Klug [2] and his Serbian counterpart Bratislav Gasic [3], as well as Mr. Erich Hohenberger [4], the governor of the third Viennese district, Professor Harry Kopietz [5], President of the Viennese City Council and dozens of military honorations together with their families attended a military ceremony swearing in 150 Austrian soldiers.
The ceremony was held in the fresh air under the sun and before hundreds of visitors to the Belvedere Palace in the third Viennese district. Austrians as well as tourists surrounded the place of the ceremony and stayed to the end.
The Austrians listened carefully to the delivered speeches about the history of their country but the tourists seemed to be more busy taking pictures of the military ceremony.
The first World War reminds Austrians and Europeans of their people who were shot, jailed and tortured during that war. It also reminds the peoples of the former Austrian-Hungarian Empire of the assassination of the heir to the throne, prince Franz Ferdinand, who was murdered by Gavrilo Princip [6] and bled to death in his military uniform.
Using the Belvedere Palace [7] as the place where the ceremony was held was also intended to remind the Austrian People of their history and World War II, and the signing of the agreement which ended the occupation of Austria and the departure of the Russian soldiers from Austria after World War II.
During the ceremony, Minister Klug delivered a speech and spoke about the history of Austria and the EU in the 100 years after the First World War. He said: “I believe it is particularly important to remember these events with representatives of that region, which is essential for maintaining peace and stability in Europe.”
Minister Klug commented on the attendance of the swearing ceremony of his counterpart from Serbia saying: “This shows once again that Europe is growing together into a federation of states for peace and cohesion.”
Earlier today, Minister Klug and his counterpart held a press conference at the ministry of Defense in which Minister Klug presented new exhibition dedicated to the First World War by commemorating the history of that war in a museum. Read in German [8].
