VIENNA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Tuesday said a peaceful Europe is only possible with Russia on board, ahead of a trip to St. Petersburg to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin.
As part of the working visit on Wednesday, the two leaders plan to discuss bilateral relations as well as other regional and global issues, Austria Press Agency reported, citing sources in Kurz's chancellery.
This will include the state of relations between Russia and the European Union (EU). In light of its current presidency of the Council of the EU, Austria would like to revive dialogue between the two powers, and is seen by some observers as being "Russia-friendly."
The two leaders will reportedly also discuss the situation in Syria.
Both leaders will also attend the opening ceremony of an art exhibition at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, arranged in conjunction with the Vienna Museum of Art History, and sponsored by Austria's largest oil and gas company OMV and Russian giant Gazprom.
OMV and Gazprom are presently engaged in close cooperation on various projects including the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
