Vienna
Background
Vienna is the capital and largest city of Austria, as well as one of the country’s nine federal states. It sits in the northeast of Austria on the Danube River, at the edge of the Vienna Woods and near the border regions of Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. With a population of just over two million in the city and nearly 2.9 million in the metropolitan area, it is Austria’s principal urban center and the most populous city on the Danube.
The city has major political and diplomatic significance because it hosts a large number of international organizations, including the United Nations, OPEC, and the OSCE. It is therefore an important venue for multilateral negotiations, conferences, and specialized diplomatic activity. Recent Russian official statements show Vienna continuing to serve as a meeting place for Russian foreign ministry representatives engaged in international narcotics control discussions, including contacts linked to the International Narcotics Control Board and the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
Vienna’s importance is also rooted in its long history as a center of state power and culture. Founded as the Roman settlement of Vindobona, it later became the seat of the Babenbergs and, from the 16th century, the seat of the Habsburg emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. It became the capital of the Austrian Empire in 1804 and remained the country’s central political city through its successor states, while also developing into one of the leading German-speaking cities in Europe. In 2001 its historic center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and by 2017 it had been placed on the World Heritage in Danger list.
Timeline
Documents
On the Meeting Between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia D.E. Lubinsky and President of the International Narcotics Control Board S. Atasa
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Lubinsky met INCB President Atasa in Vienna, reaffirming a Russian initiative to place mephedrone and methadone precursors under international control and pledging continued UN budget support for the INCB.
Press Release: Participation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia D.E. Lubinsky in a Side Event on Drug Use Prevention Among Youth at the 69th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Lubinsky highlighted Russia's role as a donor to UNODC's youth anti-drug initiatives in Central Asia at a side event of the 69th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.