Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn
Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 August 1968 Linz, Austria |
| Alma mater | Vienna University of Economics and Business |
| Occupation | Economist |
| Years active | 1988-present |
| Known for | Pro-Western activism |
| Children | 1 |
Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn (born 23 August 1968[1]) is an Austrian economist who is the President of the Austrian Committee for NATO membership of Ukraine, Kosovo, Bosnia and Austria, and sits on the board of the Action Group for Regional Economic Integration of Southern Balkans. Fehlinger-Jahn is known for his assertive advocacy for Western support for Ukraine, NATO and EU expansion, and a very hardline stance against Russia, including calls for its balkanization. He is critical of Austrian neutrality.[2] He is known for his activity on Twitter.[3]
Biography
[edit]Fehlinger-Jahn was born in 1968 in the Austrian city of Linz. He attended the Khevenhüller Gymnasium Linz from 1979 to 1988 before serving in the Austrian Armed Forces as a reserve lieutenant from 1988 to 1989. He studied at the Vienna University of Economics and Business from October 1989 to September 1998, where he earned a Master's degree in International Business, specializing in Management and Human Resources.[4]
Fehlinger-Jahn was the chairman of AktionsGemeinschaft from 1994 to 1995.[1]
Controversies
[edit]Fehlinger-Jahn's role as the leader of a pro-NATO non-governmental organization has led to misunderstandings that he speaks on behalf of the military alliance itself. Following a tweet in which Fehlinger-Jahn called on Nikol Pashinyan to join NATO and Joe Biden to protect Armenia, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan stated that Fehlinger-Jahn was simply the head of a non-governmental organization with the word "NATO" in its name. Fehlinger-Jahn's comments on disbanding Russia drew opposition from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko, who dismissed Fehlinger-Jahn's proposal as a "grand fantasy".[5]
On August 25, 2023, following Brazil's participation in the 15th BRICS summit, Fehlinger-Jahn said in response that if President Lula "led Brazil in the same direction as Russia, China, and Iran" and joined a "hostile axis of genocide," he would "call for the dismantling of Brazil." Fehlinger-Jahn included a map that depicts the division of Brazil into four states. After his tweet went viral, Fehlinger-Jahn became the target of false allegations in comments attributing his tweet to an official NATO position, with Reuters reporting that a video making such claims had over 250,000 views on Facebook. In a statement, Fehlinger-Jahn clarified on Twitter that he "does not represent NATO" in an official capacity and that "NATO has no intention of dismembering Brazil or any other country." A NATO statement further stated that "any allegations that NATO is planning to invade or divide Brazil are complete nonsense."[6]
He demanded that North Macedonia abolish public holidays that Bulgaria considers provocative, such as the Day of Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle and the Day of the Macedonian Popular Uprising, and that North Macedonia start celebrating April 4 as NATO Day.[7]
Fehlinger-Jahn has demanded that Serbia recognize Kosovo's independence, impose sanctions on Russia, and that the Hotel Moscow be renamed the Hotel Kyiv.[8] He has stated support for the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and has denied civilian casualties which took place during the operation. Fehlinger-Jahn's actions provoked anger among the Serbian public and diaspora, after which his phone number and address in Vienna were made public. After this event, Fehlinger-Jahn reported receiving threatening messages from "Serbian extremists" all night long.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "20 Jahre AktionsGemeinschaft Festschrift" (PDF) (in German).
- ^ Contributor, Euromaidan Press (2017-04-27). "Austrian neutrality is no model for Ukraine". Euromaidan Press. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Sixsmith, Ben (26 September 2024). "Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn, European". The Critic. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ^ "Europeans For Tax Reform - Our People". www.flattax-europe.eu. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ^ "Russian diplomat calls EU's remarks about Armenia joining NATO 'grand fantasy". 6 September 2023. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023.
- ^ "Checagem de fatos-Economista que mencionou "desmantelar o Brasil" não representa a Otan". Reuters (in Portuguese). 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ^ "Фелингер предлага да се откажеме од историјата: Празниците 11-ти и 23-ти октомври се навредливи за Бугарија". Lider.mk (in Macedonian). Retrieved 2023-07-24.
- ^ Novosti/Alo/V.P. "EVO KO JE AUSTRIJANAC KOJI BI DA PREIMENUJE HOTEL "MOSKVA" Poreklom Albanac, provokator koji lobira za lažnu državu Kosovo - Alo.rs". alo (in Serbian). Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- ^ "Srbi pisali Austrijancu koji je u Beogradu raširio zastavu NATO-a". www.atvbl.rs (in Bosnian). Retrieved 2025-03-17.