The Austrian Federal Minister of the Interior, Wolfgang Sobotka, visited Washington, DC and California from May 2 to 5, 2017.  In Washington he held bilateral meetings with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly to discuss the fight against terrorism, illegal immigration, and cybersecurity. In addition, Sobotka visited the Austrian Embassy to view artwork by Austrian painter and police officer Christoph Palaschke, who was on site to guide the minister through the exhibit. 

On May 3, Mr. Sobotka travelled to San Francisco where he mingled with Austrian expats in the area during a welcome reception to his honor. The next day, he met William Scott, the Chief of the San Francisco Police Department, then headed further south for additional meetings in Silicon Valley, where he visited Google, Microsoft, and Stanford University, as well as tech companies in the security field.