The embassy of Afghanistan in Budapest closed effective July 1, citing austerity reasons, the Hungarian news agency MTI quoted the online news portal hvg.hu. The website said the information had been confirmed by Hungary’s foreign ministry.

Officials are preparing the next round of bilateral talks between Hungary and Singapore: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is due to visit Singapore in October or November this year - Non-Resident Ambassador to Hungary Justice (Ret.) MPH Rubin told Diplomacy&Trade in June. He also spoke about Singapore’s legal system and gave a short summary of the political scope in his country.

The embassies in Budapest of 25 countries have issued a joint satatement expressing support for the 2015 Budapest Pride Festival. The document says human rights shall apply equally to every human being, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The British Embassy in Budapest hosted a party Thursday night on the occasion of the general elections in the United Kingdom in the Embassy building. Guests were invited by the new Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy, Theresa Bubbear.

The British Embassy in Budapest has released a statement to announce that Ms. Theresa Bubbear has been appointed Chargé d'Affaires Ad Interim to Hungary. She took up her appointment on April 27, 2015. There is also a new Deputy Head of Mission.

The Office of the Hungarian President has announced that President János Áder, similarly to other European leaders, will stay away from the Russian Victory Day parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany on May 9 in Moscow.

Each issue of Diplomacy & Trade presents a piece by one of the ambassadors serving in Budapest. Recently, it has been the turn of the British ambassador who tells the readers about his love for sports and how he can pursue this activity in Hungary.

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year, on the 70th anniversary of the largest Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Ambassador of the State of Israel, Ilan Mor, has issued a statement on the lessons of the past.

The US Department of State has handed over its agrément to the Hungarian Embassy, under which Réka Szemerkényi, Hungary’s new ambassador to the US, can take up her post in Washington, D.C., the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced.

Hungary's János Pásztor of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been appointed as the first-ever UN Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change. The announcement has been made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon.

Fostering relations between countries and within the family - this is the main theme of the article written for the Witty Leaks section of a recent issue of Diplomacy & Trade by the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Iraq in Budapest, Dr. Diary Ahmed Majid.

At a meeting in Bratislava, the Prime Ministers of the Visegrád Group highlighted the importance of Swiss investments in Europe, and with reference to the order of magnitude of those investments, voiced their request that the V4 should benefit more from them.

The United States Senate has confirmed Colleen Bell as the next American ambassador to Hungary. Her confirmation had been delayed after Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain, raised objections over her qualifications to represent the U.S. in Hungary.

A competition has been held to select the list of wines that will be served at Hungarian representations abroad and to international delegations at foreign ministry events in 2015. The Carton Hungaricum wine selection was announced at a gala evening.

The United States has banned several Hungarians suspected of corruption, including people connected to the government, from entering its territory. Analysts believe the U.S. is angered by Hungarians seeking financial gains at US companies through corruption.