Austria to send 130 additional troops to EU military mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Austria will send an additional 130 troops to the European Union-led military mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, local media reported Wednesday. "The rapid increase is an important and positive step that underpins our focus on the Western Balkans, where we are now the strongest troop contingent," Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz was quoted by the Austrian Press Agency as saying. The latest deployment, which has been confirmed by Defence Minister Gerald Klug, is based on a government program decided six weeks ago, Kurz said, adding that it is in line with Austria's goal of increasing its number of troops deployed abroad to 1,100. With regard to other foreign missions, Klug welcomed the decision his government made to participate in the EU mission in the Central African Republic, and did not rule out involvement in other missions