Noting that the investigation is ongoing on what kind of information was allegedly passed over to Russia and whether the data was sensitive, Van der Bellen said in an interview with the Austrian ORF broadcaster late on Monday that “perhaps, in a few week we will find out.”
The president underlined that he was surprised at how public the Austrian Cabinet had went with the allegations.
“Minister Lavrov was also in Paris… We briefly greeted each other. Neither he nor I have touched this upon,” Van der Bellen added.
Austrian President also said that ex-colonel's case would not jeopardize the relations with Moscow in the long run.
“This will not seriously shadow our relations with the Russian government for a long time,” Van der Bellen said late on Monday in an interview with the Austrian ORF broadcaster.
The president went on to say that espionage is unacceptable, but at the same time all special services are trying to obtain information via various methods, including the illegal ones.
Moscow in response expressed protest to Austrian Ambassador to Russia Johannes Aigner over the accusations. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Vienna's steps were based on suspicions without evidence, adding that Austria's statements over the spy scandal had already complicated bilateral relations.
