"I hope and I expect that they will work quickly and that they will do everything possible so that the multiple areas of our cooperation are not jeopardized, and so that we have a basis for a good cooperation in future," Goldgruber said.
He emphasized that joint effort was necessary for clearing up the point.
"The quicker we clear everything up, the better it is for the continuation of our cooperation," Goldgruber noted.
While Austrian weekly magazine Profil claimed that Vienna had received the information on the alleged espionage by the former colonel from German military counter-intelligence, Kleine Zeitung newspaper claimed that the United Kingdom had provided this information to Austria in order to deteriorate the Austrian-Russian relations, allegedly qualifying the ties as too friendly.
"I can't comment on this, as I can't check the quality of the information," Goldgruber said.
READ MORE: Austria Suspects Domestic Intelligence Officer Spied for Russia — Report
On November 9, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz confirmed that a retired Austrian colonel was suspected of espionage for Moscow and demanded that the Russian side provided "transparent" information on the matter.
Moscow in response expressed a protest to Austrian Ambassador to Russia Johannes Aigner over the accusations. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on November 5 that Vienna's steps were based on suspicions without evidence, adding that Austria's statements over the spy scandal had already complicated bilateral relations.
