Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to Budapest on Tuesday, an event widely seen by analysts as a demonstration that - despite Russian aggression in Ukraine - he has found a NATO and EU member that is still willing to receive him.

Having arrived to Hungary over two years ago, the Swiss Ambassador to Hungary, Jean-François Paroz says in an interview in the January issue of Diplomacy & Trade that he is satisfied with the achievement of several goals he set at the beginning of his term.

U.S. Ambassador to Hungary Colleen Bell and Hungarian Minister of Human Capacities Zoltán Balog has signed an agreement in Budapest regulating social security issues between the two countries and avoiding a form of double taxation for people.

German chancellor Angela Merkel paid a half-day visit to Hungary this Monday. In Budapest, she met with the Hungarian President and the Prime Minister as well as Jewish leaders, managers of German companies in this country, civilians and students.

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.

The new Ambassador of the United States to Hungary, Colleen Bradley Bell presented her credentials to the President of Hungary János Áder this Wednesday in the Sándor Palace. She also laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Heroes’ Square.

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.

This year, Canada and Hungary has recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. On this occasion, Diplomacy & Trade featured a special focus with an interview in it with the Canadian Ambassador to Hungary, Lisa Helfand.

The Palace of Arts in Budapest was the venue of the reception given by Hungarian President János Áder to ambassadors accredited to Hungary. In his speech to the diplomats, the President emphasized the importance peace and that of environment protection.

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.

Budapest Week Publishing, the publisher of Diplomacy & Trade, held its Christmas Reception for its partners at the InterContinental Budapest Hotel. Guests included members of the diplomatic community, of the gastronomy industry and businessmen.

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.