Bilateral Relations - Austria and Madagascar
- Photo: ÖB Pretoria
The bilateral relations between Madagascar and Austria are friendly but not very developed. In 2004 President Ravalomanana visited Austria on the occasion of a UNIDO Conference. On 20 Oktober 2005 Austria has opened a honorary Consulate in Madagascar.
Bilateral trade declined in 2002 due to the political crisis in Madagascar but has since then started to increase.
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world and highly dependent on international aid. However, there is no Austrian development cooperation programme for Madagascar. There has been the allocation of some grants for a Training of Trainers courses at the Berufspädagogische Institut Mödling.
In 1998 Austria paid off the debt of Madagascar amounting to 5,62 Million Euro. The SOS-Children’s Village receives funds from private Austrian sources. Furthermore there has been some support for the enlargement of an education and training centre for ecologic agriculture in view of the preservation of the rainforest. In 2003 Austria provided Madagascar with seed capital for direct investment. The "Austrian Village" in Tana is at the moment one of the biggest construction sites on the island. On 15 October 2004 a hospital financed by Austrian private donors has been opened in Tana.
Presidential Elections in December 2006
On 3 December, Madagascar held presidential elections. The Austrian Embassy participated in the EU election observation mission. The incumbent Marc Ravalomanana won the elections on a strong majority. He was sworn in again as President on 19 January 2007.
