Talks to form coalition government begin in Austria

VIENNA

Coalition talks formally began Tuesday in Austria between center-right Austrian People's Party (OVP) and Greens after elections in late September.

The first meeting was held with the participation of leading representatives from the parties.

Speaking in a joint news conference after the meeting, leader of OVP, Sebastian Kurz, said the parties have different approaches and after the talks the two parties would be able to form a coalition.

Greens leader Werner Kogler said the two parties have similar approaches on some issues and different approaches on other issues but started coalition talks with the hope they will overcome the situation.

The OVP won 37% of votes in the polls in September and elected 71 deputies. The Greens garnered 13.9% of the votes and elected 26 lawmakers.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet in Ankara