The Diplomacy & Trade Club ('The Club') presented its recent country focus supplement on Norway at the residence of the Norwegian Ambassador to Hungary, Tove Skarstein Wednesday evening with with diplomats, businesspeople attending.

Getting to know birds and people - this is the slogan for Dutch Ambassador Gajus Scheltema who arrived to Hungary les than a year ago. For the Witty Leaks section of Diplomacy & Trade, he wrote a piece on how he took up bird watching as a hobby.

The 25th anniversary of the dismantling of the Iron Curtain was celebrated near Sopron, NW Hungary, where the barbed wire was cut in 1989 to begin the demolition of the closed border. This symbolic gesture is remembered today by a memorial stone.

The Diplomacy & Trade Business Club (The Club) held a special session in the Gundel restaurant in Budapest as diplomats said farewell to János Martonyi who finished his second term as Hungary's foreign minister earlier this month.

“The main reason for Norway to maintain an embassy in Budapest is because both countries are members of NATO – something very important today in the light of the Ukrainian situation," Norwegian Ambassador Tove Skarstein tells Diplomacy & Trade.

With the formation of the new Orbán government, the new foreign minister, Tibor Navracsics took over his new portfolio from the outgoing minister, János Martonyi. The name of the ministry also changes: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

As Hungary is commemorating the Holocaust, the embassies of seven countries have initiated a program to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to honour courageous persons who opposed it and saved the life of Jewish families and individuals.

The Norwegian ambassador to Hungary, Tove Skarstein and defence attaché, Colonel Øivind Oland Christensen invited guests, including members of the Norwegian community, to the Ambassador's residence in Budapest to celebrate Norway's National Day.

This year Hungary and Mexico celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations. On this occasion, Diplomacy & Trade has recently presented an interview with the Mexican Ambassador to Hungary, Isabel Bárbara Téllez Rosete.

As the leading article of its Finalnd focus earlier this year, Diplomacy & Trade carried an interview with the Finnish ambassador to Hungary, Pasi Tuominen who talks about the various aspects of bilateral relations and the spreading of Finnish values.

“As the term of the current government expires, I will finish my foreign service.” That is what Hungarian Foreign Minister János indicated to the Hungarian news portal [origo] when asked at a conference this Tuesday in Budapest.

Diplomacy & Trade has learned with great sorrow that the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Hungary, Dr. Ashraf Mohsen Mohamed Mohsen has passed away at the age of 50. He served his country in Budapest since March 2012.

The President of the Republic of Poland, Bronislaw Komorowski visited Hungary this past week-end to take part in events held on the occasion of the Day of Hungarian Polish Friendship. He was hosted by his Hungarian counterpart, János Áder.

The Baltic state of Latvia features in the news early this year as it became the 18th state of the Euro-zone and Riga is the cultural capital of Europe. On this occasion, Diplomacy & Trade has recently carried an interview with Latvian ambassador Imants Liegis.

The ambassador of the Republic of Poland to, Roman Kowalski, has been awarded the 'Antall József Prize' named after the first democratically elected prime minister (1990-1993) of Hungary. The award was handed over by the widow of the late prime minister.