Interview – U.S. Ambassador: I was given a very warm welcome in Hungary

Budapest, March 1 (MTI) – Cooperation between the Hungarian and the U.S. governments is excellent in many areas, while there are challenges that they need to resolve together, the new U.S. Ambassador to Hungary indicated in her interview with MTI, emphasizing that she personally would like to contribute to deepening U.S.-Hungarian relations in every area.

Colleen Bell, who presented her credentials to President of the Republic János Áder on January 21, said she was given a very warm welcome in Hungary, “the messages of friendship were very moving”. She said that in the past year overseas [back in the U.S.] she spent a lot of time learning about Hungary and the broad scope of bilateral relations; now, however, she has the chance to personally meet Hungarians and hear their opinions first-hand.

In response to the question on what meetings she has done in the first weeks of her stay in Hungary, she said it was a great honour for her that, in the first days after her arrival, she had the opportunity to meet President of the Republic János Áder in person. She also met several Ministers, the heads of the Curia and the Constitutional Court, and politicians.

In addition, she had talks with civil society representatives, religious leaders, academics, educators and people in the arts community. She also had a chance to meet business people, and she had a discussion with Hungary’s new Ambassador to the United States Réka Szemerkényi before she departed for Washington.

“What I have appreciated the most is that, consistently in all my meetings, I am hearing that people appreciate the strong tradition of cooperation between the United States and Hungary. They want our two countries to have good, positive, productive relations.” As she said, although people may have different definitions of what that means, “so far, I have heard consistent affirmation of the importance of our bilateral cooperation.”

Colleen Bell told MTI that it was an extreme honour for her when President Barack Obama asked her to be the new Ambassador of the United States to Hungary. Not just because she would be an Ambassador, but also that she would be serving in Hungary, a country that “my family already knew and grew to love.” She said they had been to Hungary several times before, and they “were amazed by the richness of the Hungarian culture, the beauty of the country, and the pride of the Hungarian people.” She said they were excited to come back and learn more about the country.

The new Ambassador already had the opportunity to go to Szekesfehervar, Mohács, Debrecen and Pápa Air Base. She is grateful to President János Áder and his wife and to foreign affairs committee head Zsolt Németh for inviting her and her husband to the Csángó Ball, which she called “a unique experience.” She also attended the U.S.-Hungary water polo match, went with her son to the Busó Festival in Mohács, and attended the piano concert of György Ádam at the Liszt Ferenc Academy. She said she was very curious to learn about Hungary, and the Embassy even announced a contest on its Facebook site to help her find great places to visit.

Colleen Bell said she would like to meet as many people as possible and hear many opinions so that she could learn better about Hungary and its history. She said she would like to go to places in Hungary where no U.S. Ambassador had gone before. While she called it important for her to meet with the members of the cabinet, politicians, civil society leaders and businessmen, she emphasized that she wants to talk to Hungarians from all walks of life, and for that, they also want to use social media platforms. While she is trying to go to as many events as possible, as U.S. Ambassador, she strives to promote U.S. culture, she added.

On account of the recent sudden departure from Budapest of her former deputy Andre Goodfriend, Colleen Bell said that she and the Deputy Chief of Mission had formed an excellent working relationship, and she greatly appreciates both his assistance in helping her prepare for her arrival in Hungary and for his service here in Budapest over the last year and a half. “Andre did an excellent job of promoting and explaining U.S. policy during his time here. Secretary Kerry fully supported his efforts,” she said adding that, “unfortunately, [Andre] had to leave his post for family reasons.”

In response to the question whether, like Andre Goodfriend, she also wants to open a Twitter account, she said she was planning to, but not right away. “I’m still getting out to meet people. When the time is right, I will begin tweeting.”

The Ambassador, who in her introductory video mentioned that earlier she had assumed an active role in engaging various civil initiatives, said that a healthy civil society is one of the best barometers of a nation’s state of democracy. In her opinion, people must be given the opportunity to form organizations to solve the problems they identify in their communities. She said governments can’t solve every problem or fill every need, and therefore, governments have a fundamental interest and responsibility to support an environment where citizens can channel their civic energy into NGOs, religious organizations, and cultural groups.

The new Ambassador of the United States to Hungary also spoke about the trust that both President Obama and Secretary Kerry have placed in her: “I know that I have their full support.” In response to the question whether she can consult them on certain issues she said that, just like every other U.S. Ambassador, she is in constant contact with the Department of State and the White House to help the United States shape its foreign policy with the best information possible, “but if I needed their advice, yes, I would not hesitate to call the President or the Secretary!”

Speaking about global issues both countries are strongly interested in, Colleen Bell also said that it is the shared responsibility of NATO and EU countries to support Ukraine and other countries in Europe’s East as they continue implementing the reforms needed to build a stronger, more prosperous, democratic future.

She added that Hungary and its fellow EU partners joined with the United States, Canada, and other nations around the world to impose sanctions on Russia as a show of their shared resolve to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a peaceful end, as soon as possible, ensuring the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Ukraine.

The Ambassador said that, as a neighbour and a member of NATO and the EU, Hungary “obviously must play a role in supporting Ukraine.” She added, “We will continue to work together to promote a peaceful and responsible solution.” She noted that she recently hosted her Ukrainian colleague and the representatives of NATO countries, and a representative of the Hungarian government was also present in the meeting.

In the interview, Colleen Bell said that, as the U.S. Ambassador, her mission is to be a strong advocate for U.S. policy and U.S. interests, to explain who they are, what they believe, and why they believe it.

She confirmed that she will be seeking to reinforce common values. Among those [common values] she listed an unwavering dedication to the rule of law, independent democratic institutions, healthy checks and balances, a free and fair election system, and an active civil society.

She said she will also be working hard to reinforce even further “our already very strong defense and security relationship. We are NATO Allies, we have taken an oath to defend each other.”

Speaking about her tasks as Ambassador, she mentioned that, on the economic front, there will be a lot of opportunities to promote bilateral trade in the near and the long term.

She highlighted that transparency and predictability are critically important for investors who are looking to enter any new market. As she said, laws, rules and regulations sometimes need to change and adapt to new circumstances, but “consultation with stakeholders is an important part of this process, and without it, potential investors will go elsewhere.”

She also discussed that there has been some misinformation in the Hungarian media about the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), but “the Hungarian government understands, as I do, that Hungarian companies and workers will benefit enormously under TTIP.” She said Hungarians will have the same access to U.S. markets and to U.S. investment as much larger countries in the EU, and with a positive investment climate, Hungary would be very well positioned for growth from TTIP.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters