Looking forward to the future

Van der Bellen: “We don’t need to be afraid!”

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen opened the Salzburg Festival with his speech.(Bild: LAND SALZBURG/NEUMAYR/LEOPOLD)

Following his incendiary speech in Bregenz, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen focused on Austria's positive aspects at the Salzburg Festival on Friday: "We don't need to be afraid. We can look forward to the future!"

"Some people expect me to dish it out properly at events like this," said Austria's President right at the beginning of his opening speech. Unlike in Bregenz, Alexander Van der Bellen was brimming with optimism and confidence in Salzburg, even telling a joke in the course of his speech.

Guests of honor

• Keynote speaker Nina Khrushcheva
• Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen
• Czech President Petr Pavel
• Former Federal President Heinz Fischer
• Archbishop Franz Lackner
• From the government: Werner Kogler, Magnus Brunner, Karoline Edtstadler, Leonore Gewessler, Martin Kocher, Alexander Schallenberg, Andrea Mayer.

"This is not who we are": How do we want to be?
Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen invited the audience at the Salzburg Festival to take part in a thought experiment: "If you close your eyes and imagine our beautiful Austria, what comes to mind?" 

Alexander Van der Bellen tried a thought experiment with the audience.(Bild: LAND SALZBURG/NEUMAYR/LEOPOLD)

"What are we like? What do we want to be like?" asked the Federal President, referring to his "That's not who we are" statement following the release of the Ibiza video. For Van der Bellen, Austria is more than just picturesque villages in the Alps, mountains and green meadows or Falco in a Mozart wig:

• Our curiosity,
• sociability
• our pragmatism and
• the beautiful, the grand staging

would make up our country. Despite all the positive and beautiful aspects, the President also reminds us in his speech of the many "big decisions" facing the country: "And I'm not just talking about the National Council elections in September: Climate. Energy. Migration. Security. Peace. Freedom."

Let's not make decisions full of fear. But full of confidence!

Bundespräsident Alexander Van der Bellen

Bild: HBF/Karlovits

Van der Bellen called on people not to succumb to fear, not to be afraid, but to see the future as a beautiful place, because: "We are Austria. We'll manage!"

However, the President couldn't resist a little political side blow: "We don't need to be afraid of being embedded in something that is supposedly constantly dictating to us - on the contrary." In times like these, a united Europe is vital for survival.

"It's a good country"
 Van der Bellen ended his speech with words from the writer Franz Grillparzer: "Franz Grillparzer summed up what I've been talking about for twelve minutes in one sentence. It reads: 'It is a good country'." The Salzburg Festival is now open!