Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has praised the activities of Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg in an interview with Bild newspaper.
"I think the way she has presented herself and how much global attention she drew is quite original.<...> I think it is always great when young people take an active stance," Kurz told the publisher.
At the same time, the chancellor noted that he could speak at a greater length about Austrian activists, rather than Greta, as he is more familiarised with the subject.
In 2018, Thunberg started skipping school to launch a series of protests in front of the Swedish parliament, urging the authorities to boost climate change-fighting measures. Her protests turned into an international weekly climate strikes called FridaysForFuture.
Most recently, the 17-year-old girl was named Person of the Year 2019 by Time magazine, becoming the youngest person to hold this title in the history of the periodical.
US President Trump mocked Time's choice, saying that her victory was 'ridiculous'.