Becoming a diplomat has been my dream since my early youth. Learning about other countries, cultures, and peoples, communicating with them in their languages and serving my country at the same time have always attracted me very much. Diplomacy to me is not only my work but also the way of life, my hobby and […]
When my transfer to Budapest was announced in October 2021, I felt great joy and satisfaction, as I would be completing my diplomatic career in a country with a long and glorious history whose people have been linked to the Greek people for centuries. Thus, I arrived in Budapest on January 19, 2020, full of […]
During my country’s history as an independent nation – and especially during the first half of the 20th century –, thousands of multifaceted and hard-working people emigrated to the long and narrow land, washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, that we call Chile. Among them, a small but talented group of Hungarian artists, […]
The last time I wrote for this column, the topic how sport connects people. Don't worry, I will not bore you with football again, rather with other forms of connectivity like experience or enjoyment. I have been working at our Embassy in Budapest for 12 years now and even prior to that, I had the […]
Over a year ago, in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was designated as the next Bulgarian Ambassador to Hungary. At the time, there were not too many options to travel by air, so I decided to reach Budapest by car and this gave me the freedom to pick the date of my entry. […]
In Diplomacy & Trade’s Witty Leaks series, diplomats give their personal account of the experiences of their 'excursions' to Hungarian culture, art, gastronomy and landscape. This time, it is about how musical collaboration becomes a tool of cultural promotion. It’s still a very fresh memory how I came to visit Hungary for the first time, […]
As we have entered a new year, I look back at 2021 with very mixed feelings. As in 2020, the COVID pandemic continued to affect our lives negatively, sometimes even with tragic effects. One year ago, my father passed away in Switzerland – not from COVID, but with COVID – and we were not able […]
A diplomatic career appears interesting and even exciting to some, but in reality, it is filled with various routines and ceremonies, which are monotonous at times. At the same time, diplomacy requires dealing with a series of tense, if not conflicting, situations in which one must often find carefully measured compromises and solutions, when it […]
In the WittyLeaks section of Diplomacy&Trade, diplomats accredited to Hungary give account of their personal experiences or some lighter aspects of bilateral relations. In the December 2021 issue, the Portuguese ambassador writes about his experience gained when walking his dogs in the Buda Hills. Lucas is six years old and Angie is six months younger. […]
Naturally, the more of a country you see, the more you'll come to know it. This is why since my arrival in Hungary as Irish Ambassador in August 2019, I set myself the target of visiting at least one Hungarian region, town or city outside Budapest every month. While the COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately curtailed […]
This September, the municipality of the southern Hungarian city of Pécs lifted the ban on tango dancing introduced in 1922. On this occasion, a ‘Tango Feast’ was held and I had the pleasure to visit the city. Among other activities, I had the opportunity to talk about my country and my people at the University […]
It’s a beautiful summer morning – warm, but between a patchwork of clouds and the elevation of the Kőszeg Mountains, the temperature is pleasant. As I wind my way through birch and pine trees and among white and pink foxglove flowers, I relax into the stillness of the forest.Standing there, it is hard to believe […]
In 2022, Belgium and Hungary will celebrate the 100th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. A joyous event that will certainly be a great opportunity to highlight the many bonds that unite our two countries in so many different ways. One cannot help but wonder what happened before 1922. Our bilateral interactions and contacts between what […]
Located in a small street of District II in Budapest, shaded by robust trees, a middle-sized villa gives home to the Dutch ambassador’s residence. The building has an intriguing historical background. The story of the occupants of the house is a bit of a mirror of Hungary’s recent history. Changing famous handsThe house was built […]
As an environmentally conscious citizen, active transportation is very important to me. It is a way to reduce our impact on the environment while maintaining an active lifestyle that integrates physical exercise in our daily activity. These modes of transportation also bring important economic and social benefits, from infrastructure investment to sustainable urban planning, to […]
