MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In the past year, Austria reinstated controls on its borders with Slovenia and Hungary after thousands of refugees and economic migrants streamed into Europe from the Middle East and North Africa.
"I think you all know what challenges we had to face. We stood our ground. We must also do our best to treat refugees with respect," Kern told reporters at a press conference in Vienna.
When asked to lay out his vision of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPO)’s future refugee policy, Kern said that, "our plan is to nourish hope, rather than concerns."
SPO’s coalition partner, the center-right People’s Party told Sputnik last week they expected the new chancellor to proceed with a strict refugee policy and even tighten it.