Few now remember that E. Busek, who at that time was Vice-Chancellor of the Government of Austria, was one of the first to congratulate the European Humanities University on its foundation already in 1992. I still have his letter in my archives, in which he emphasized the strategic importance of our educational initiative. Following his congratulations, I also received letters of support from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria and the President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
In 2007, as a President of the world-famous Alpbach Forum, a venue where the world’s leading politicians and intellectuals were gathering since 1945, he invited me to give a speech and participate in the Forum. In the same place, on his initiative, I got acquainted with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who was responsible for coordinating the foreign policy of the European Union. Without her active participation and support, it is very difficult to imagine the survival of our University in the non-standard conditions of exile, in relation to which in those years there was no format of possible support.
On behalf of the European Humanities University, we express our deep condolences on the death of Erhard Busek.
A.Mikhailov.