Long-Standing, Respectful Relations

“First of all, I'm really pleased to be here. It's the job I wanted, so I'm delighted and I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to spend four or five years in Hungary, in Budapest, and really get to know the country as much as possible,” Ambassador McKenzie Smith tells Diplomacy&Trade.

The Ambassador adds that he sees his primary role at this moment and time as a listening role. “I will listen carefully to positions of the Hungarian government so that I can explain and convey those to London as accurately as possible. The flip side of that is that in return, I will explain British government positions honestly and respectfully, including where we don't agree. So, that's my starting point. The second plan is to really make the most of the breadth of the relationship between the UK and Hungary. I want to make sure we're making the best use of a relationship, which goes back decades, if not centuries. And the third plan that I come with is to see what more we can do to energize, strengthen the economic links between our two countries in the interest of both sides. If I can do half of all that, I'll be very pleased.”

Perspective and curiosity
Justin McKenzie Smith is definitely not new to British diplomacy – he has an experience of over three decades. He believes what length of service teaches a diplomat is inevitably a sense of perspective and also to stay curious. “Curiosity on a very personal level is what motivates me in this job. I am genuinely curious and fascinated to find out more.” And a third thing that comes to his mind: “what 32-33 years of foreign service has taught me is actually the importance of younger generations. As diplomats, ambassadors, we are very much caught up in what is happening today. I think it's really important to keep a lot of space in our minds for what happens next, about the future and the people that are going to shape that future, that is, the younger generations. So, I always feel a responsibility to devote time to listening to younger generations wherever I am.”

Mutually respectful relationship
Regarding British-Hungarian political ties, Ambassador McKenzie Smith is of the view that there is a very respectful relationship between the two governments, as one would expect between NATO allies and long-term partners, pointing out that the relationship even between governments is on several levels at the same time. “In my first week in Hungary, I went to a meeting between British and Hungarian military medical personnel where there was a very valuable two-way exchange of experience and expertise. Another example of cooperation is tackling international organized crime. So, there's a great deal of operational cooperation to which both sides are committed. This is very valuable to both governments, to both countries.”

Healthy economic relations
The Ambassador describes bilateral economic relations in these post-Brexit times as healthy in both directions. The UK is one of the largest (8th) investors in Hungary with a total investment stock of over GBP 3 billion. British investors (over 600 companies) employ approximately 45,000 people in this country. These include Tesco, Unilever, Shell, Diageo, GSK, Specsavers, EY, PwC, Provident, BT, BP and JLR. Shared services centers from Britain, such as those of British Petroleum, British Telecom and Diageo, are also thriving in Hungary.
Ambassador McKenzie Smith stresses that the United Kingdom welcomes ambitious innovative businesses, including Hungarian firms, and, as the most vibrant tech ecosystem in Europe, can serve as a launchpad for them to go global. The main Hungarian companies investing in the UK he mentions are WizzAir, Gedeon Richter and Futureal.
Regarding bilateral trade, Hungary is the 18th largest European trading partner of the UK, with a strong trade surplus (GBP 2 billion) for Hungary in trading with the UK, in particular in sectors like IT, logistics and tourism. Following the introduction of the UK/EU Trade and Continuity Agreement, total bilateral trade (goods and services) between Hungary and the UK dropped to GBP 5.6 billion in 2021, but since then, it has increased by more than 50% to GBP 8.3 billion in 2024.

Feeling well supported
When it comes to partners and support in his work of enhancing bilateral relations, Ambassador McKenzie Smith feels very lucky to be leading a really talented and experienced team at the British Embassy here in Budapest, a team that represents the whole of the British government. “Obviously, we have representatives of the Foreign Office, but we also have representatives of the Ministry of Defense, of the Department for Business and Trade, of the British Council and of other parts of the British government. Beyond the Embassy, I feel that I have a number of other partners who are working in the same direction. I am keen to continue to stay in close contact with them. For example, the British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary is supporting the development of a diverse range of links and contacts between our two countries. So, I feel very well supported.”

A visit to Debrecen
The first major city Ambassador McKenzie Smith visited in Hungary was Debrecen this January. “I take seriously my role as British ambassador to the whole of Hungary, not only Budapest! I fully intend to travel regularly and widely across the country. There were a number of compelling reasons why we chose to go to Debrecen first. There's something very exciting about a place with a strong university and I know that the University of Debrecen is in very good health at the moment. It's something we see in the UK also that a lot of innovation, and energy, is coming out of university towns like Cambridge and Oxford as well as right across the United Kingdom where you have that partnership between government, business and universities. It's very well suited to the economic and social challenges that we face today. Debrecen very much fits into that category. Among others, I paid a visit to British Telecom there. I was also pleased to hear that a British investor has just taken over ‘Loki’, as the fans call the local first division football team. Sport, of course, is another area where there's a real shared interest between the UK and Hungary.”

Cultural connections
“One of the real delights of settling in here in the first few months has been to really see the breadth and the depth of the links that exist between our two societies, between our two countries. As I mentioned earlier, those go back a very long way,” the Ambassador notes.
He adds that these are not only historical, but also quite forward looking, mentioning, as an example, Hungarian students studying in the UK. “That's the kind of connection that will last long after my period of service in Hungary comes to an end.” He recalls celebrating Burns Night this year with a large number of Scottish and Hungarian friends who are great supporters of Scottish cultural links. Another celebration, that of the Day of St. David, the Patron Saint of Wales is on March 1. Here, he mentions the poem ‘A walesi bárdok’ (The bards of Wales) by 19th century Hungarian poet János Arany, another important cultural connection between Hungary and Wales. “These are things that I enjoy, that make me curious and which I look forward to supporting in the period ahead.”
For the Ambassador, the best example of civilian ties is the nearly one million Brits that come to Budapest every year. “That brings a great level of connection, a level of exchange and familiarity that can only be good. When I’m traveling around the city on the excellent public transport system, I often hear British people. The connectivity that comes from as many as 14 flights a day from different parts of the UK is very high.”

Local language skills
Social media users express special appreciation when they hear Justin McKenzie Smith speak Hungarian. He explains that he is trying to improve his Hungarian and will continue to do so. “It is an absolutely fascinating language and a very beautiful one, which obviously has generated wonderful poetry and literature as well. With Hungarian, as with the other languages in my career – Russian, Spanish and Georgian – I've been very lucky to have the opportunity to learn. For me, it is the key. It's the route into a country's culture, history and people-to-people relationships – our understanding is of key importance. And if I'm going to be in a country for three, four or five years, I absolutely want to feel that kind of connection. So that's my motivation.”

A welcoming country and people
As for his impression of Budapest and the Hungarian people in the first few months of his tenure in this country, the British ambassador says he is really touched and grateful for the warmth of the welcome he has received in person and in all his contacts so far. “People sometimes say to me that the United Kingdom has a special place in the Hungarian mentality and I'm beginning to recognize that. I'm very grateful and I hope I can live up to that. So, all this is very, very welcoming.”
He considers Budapest “a very special place and I can only claim to be no more than scratching the surface so far. I have an awful lot to learn but I'm looking forward to that. I think it's a young and dynamic city in many ways and it also has a fascinating history, a history which connects it to the UK in some places. I am very much aware of the symbolism of Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) in Hungarian-British friendship. And if I can confess, I'm even a little bit proud about the particular connection with Scotland, which is where I’m from, and the role played by Adam Clark and the Scottish builders who helped to make that vital connection on the River Danube between Pest and Buda.“