The Diplomacy & Trade Business Club (The Club) presented the Irish focus of Diplomacy & Trade in the Gundel Restaurant in Budapest with diplomats, businesspeople and members of the Irish community in Hungary attending the event this Monday evening.

Hungary has officially launched its Presidency of the Central European Initiative. In the second half of this year, Hungary will be heading the Visegrád Group. Having these two responsibilities, the Foreign Ministry calls 2013 the Year of Central Europe in Hungary.

Hungary has ensured France of its "full support and solidarity" in connection with the French military operations in Mali. A statement by the Hungarian Foreign Ministry views the French action as part of the global fight against terrorism.

The new Italian Ambassador to Hungary, Maria Assunta Accili Sabbatini, who presented her credentials to the President of the Hungarian Republic on May 30 this year, talked about bilateral relations in the recent Italy Focus of Diplomacy & Trade.

Diplomacy & Trade organized its Christmas Party for its partners this Tuesday evening in the InterContinental Budapest Hotel, featuring a concert by well-known pianist Csilla Szentpéteri as well as fine food provided by the hotel.

A recent issue of Diplomacy & Trade carried an interview with the Japanese Ambassador to Hungary, Tetsuo Ito who looked at the various aspects of relations between the two countries. He has since left Hungary with his term expiring here.

The Diplomacy & Trade Business Club (The Club) has recently presented the Japanese focus of Diplomacy & Trade in the Reálszisztéma Lexus Buda car saloon in Budapest with over a hundred diplomats and businesspeople attending the evening.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel received Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Berlin. At a press conference afterwards, the Chancellor said it was understandable why Hungary is not concerned with the issue of euro adoption at the moment.

Departing Japanese Ambassador Tetsuo To has been awarded a high state distinction. The award was presented by the Hungarian President János Áder who received the ambassador in the Sándor Palace in the Buda Castle on Tuesday.

14 African countries have honorary consuls in Hungary. Diplomacy and Trade talked to two of them, Boldizsár Péter Entz, Honorary Consul General for the Republic of Ghana to Hungary and Péter Morenth, the Honorary Consul for Lesotho to Hungary.

Hungary and Romania are keen to continue and strengthen bilateral partnership cooperation. That is according to Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi who met with his Romanian counterpart Titus Corlatean in Budapest this Monday.

In an interview published in the summer issue of Diplomacy & Trade, the South African Ambassador to Hungary, Takalani Esther Netshitenzhe says she has witnessed lots of changes in Hungary but sees lots of potential in strengthening bilateral relations.

The Hungarian government is fighting to reduce public debt to below 50 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and looks to Lithuania's economic growth as a model, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said during his visit to Vilnius.

The Arab Republic of Egypt is represented in Hungary by a senior diplomat, Dr. Ashraf Mohsen Mohamed Mohsen who presented his credentials in March this year. He gave an interview to the summer issue of Diplomacy & Trade.

The U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, has been killed in the second largest Libyan city of Benghazi in an attack by Islamist rebels. His car was reportedly attacked, killing him and two bodyguards. a fourth US citizen also died in Benghazi.