November 3, 2020
No.249
On the morning of November 3, and at the instruction of Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Deputy Minister Harry Ho-jen Tseng spoke by telephone with Mr. Roland Rudorfer, Director of the Austrian Office Taipei, regarding the terrorist attack in Vienna on the evening of November 2. Speaking on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, Deputy Minister Tseng expressed his sincere condolences to the victims and their family members, solemnly condemned the attack, and stated that Taiwan stands with the Austrian government and people at this difficult time.
Director Rudorfer conveyed his sincere gratitude to our government for its timely expression of concern, which he said would be promptly relayed to Vienna. He said that the Austrian police were actively pursuing the suspects, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) would be kept informed of further developments.
MOFA notes that the Austrian police are still pursuing escaped terrorists, and believes that the motives behind this terrorist attack will soon become clear. Recent terrorist attacks in Europe have aroused widespread concern in the international community. As a nation founded upon the ideal of human rights, Taiwan reiterates that it opposes any form of hate crime and condemns acts of terrorism, which cause great harm to democratic societies. Taiwan has always held the position that disagreement must be resolved through dialogue.
According to reports from the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Austria, no Taiwan nationals in Austria were harmed in this terrorist attack. MOFA will continue to monitor the developing situation in Austria and maintain close contact with relevant government agencies so as to provide assistance to Taiwan citizens in Austria and foreign citizens in Taiwan as necessary, and thus ensure the safety of all. (E)