VIENNA _ Austria's populist Freedom Party met with Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in Moscow on Monday to discuss political collaboration.
Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache and Norbert Hofer, the former presidential candidate, were among the Austrian politicians who traveled to Russia for "diplomatic talks," Strache said on his Facebook account, without elaborating. The delegation is meeting with United Russia's international secretary, Sergey Zheleznyak, according to a spokesman.
While the Freedom Party was defeated to the Austrian presidency earlier this month by an independent candidate, it tops national opinion polls with about a third of the vote. Party officials have in the past called for an end to European Union sanctions against Russia and voiced support for Russia's annexation of Crimea. Hofer campaigned for the presidency in part on his ability to court favor inside a Donald Trump-led White House as well as with Putin. Strache said in his Facebook posting that Russia "freed Aleppo" from Islamic State.
"Austria needs international political and business contacts rather than negative and damaging sanctions," Strache said on Facebook. "It's good to actively live our international political relations from Moscow to Washington, Beijing and Jerusalem."
Strache and Zheleznyak plan to sign an agreement to "exchange experiences in legislation" among their respective lawmakers, and to "promote friendship and the education of the young generation in the spirit of patriotism and a joy for work," according to Austrian daily newspaper Kronen-Zeitung. The Freedom Party didn't immediately respond to emails asking for a comment on the pact.
