Europe’s youngest foreign minister has taken office, after Austria swore in its new coalition government.
Aged 27, Sebastian Kurz was one of 12 ministers confirmed by Austrian President Heinz Fischer in the capital Vienna. Before taking up his new role, Mr Kurz was state secretary for integration.
Seen as a rising star in the People’s Party, Mr Kurz had earned praise in his previous post for his work in schools and with Muslim immigrants.
As secretary, he followed a policy of integrating immigrants into Austrian society by requiring their children to speak German before entering school. He also established free language classes for Muslim religious leaders and launched a forum for dialogue with Islam.
Austria’s ruling bloc, the Social Democrats and the conservative People’s Party, won the election in September. The Social Democrats came top with 27.1%, while the People’s Party got 23.8%.
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