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Recently, reports and photo cards have been published in mainstream media claiming that Gunther Fehlinger, Chairman of NATO’s Austria Division, made the remark titled “We don’t need India, we want a free trade agreement with Bangladesh.”

The reports state that Gunther Fehlinger, Chairman of NATO’s Austria Division, called for a free trade agreement with Bangladesh. He expressed this opinion through a post on the social media platform X.

See such reports published in the media on Ekattor TV, Dhaka Mail, BD24Report, TechZoom.tv, MTINews24, Daily Alochik Ukhiya, BD Morning, and Doorbeen News:

See such a post circulated on the media’s Facebook page here:

Fact Check
Rumor Scanner’s investigation shows that Gunther Fellinger, who made the statement titled “We don’t need India, we want a free trade agreement with Bangladesh,” is not an official of NATO. Moreover, Austria is not a NATO member state. There is also no institutional body or office called the “NATO Austria Division.” In reality, Fellinger is an activist who supports NATO expansion. Although he presents himself as the chairman of the “Austrian Committee for NATO Enlargement,” it is an organization he runs personally.

At the start of the investigation, a keyword search led to the controversial post on Gunther Fellinger’s verified X account. It is also seen that the account’s bio claims he is the “Chairman of the Austrian Committee for NATO Enlargement.”

Subsequently, in further investigation about Gunther, a keyword search found a fact-check report published on August 29, 2023, on the website of the British news agency Reuters. The report revealed that at the time, Gunther claimed to be the chairman of the “European Committee for NATO Enlargement.” Reuters stated that Gunther Fellinger has no institutional relationship with the U.S.-led military alliance NATO. He is only associated with a group that supports the inclusion of new countries into NATO. Additionally, Fellinger himself informed Reuters via email that he has no connection with NATO and that none of his tweets reflect an official position. The report also mentioned that NATO had confirmed to the media at the time, through a statement, that “Fellinger has no formal relationship with NATO.”

Additionally, in an X post dated September 2, 2023, Gunther wrote, “I admit, the European Committee for NATO Enlargement is actually just me!”

Moreover, at that time, Danielle Rizio, Press Officer of the Press and Media Section of NATO Headquarters’ Public Diplomacy Division, confirmed to the media that Fellinger has no formal relationship with NATO. Additionally, a keyword search during the investigation found no institutional organization under the name “Austrian Committee for NATO Enlargement.”

Subsequently, a review of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) website shows that the current number of NATO member states is 32. However, Austria is not listed among these members, meaning Austria is not a NATO member state. Additionally, a keyword search found no institutional organization or office under the name “NATO Austria Division.”

For context, recently, following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Gunther Fehlinger made multiple posts on his X account. In one tweet on September 5, he shared a map of Khalistan, calling for the breakup of India. As a result, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Information Technology issued a legal notice, flagging his account and instructing X authorities to restrict it for Indian users.

Therefore, the claim that Gunther Fehlinger, who commented “We don’t need India, we want a free trade agreement with Bangladesh,” is the chairman of NATO’s Austria division is completely false.

Sources:

• Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn X Account Post
• Reuters Website: Fact-checking – Economist who mentioned “dismantling Brazil” does not represent NATO
• Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn X Account Post
• OpIndia Website: NATO expansion lobbyist Gunther Fehlinger tells Khalistani terrorists how to create Khalistan
• NATO Website: NATO – Topic: NATO member countries
• Rumor Scanner Analysis