Austria will not join US President Donald Trump's Peace Council, the office of Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said in a statement.
"Austria is ready to contribute to sustainable peace in the Middle East, but is a clear supporter of a cooperative, multilateral system, and as one of the four headquarters of the United Nations we do not want to build any parallel structures," Chancellor's spokeswoman Claudia Tircher told the APA agency last night.
She added that participation in the Peace Committee is out of the question due to concerns regarding the body's charter.
The committee is not open to all countries in the world, and Trump has invited about 60 countries, including Austria, to join.
"A unified approach among the invited EU member states would be desirable," said the Austrian Chancellor's spokeswoman.
She also indicated that it is still open whether Austria will participate in the session in Washington through representatives from its embassy as an observer.
Bonus video:
