Hungary’s 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Germany

Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, attended a conference marking the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Hungary and Germany, in Budapest on Monday.

Ties between the two countries “are so deeply rooted and so complex that they cannot be assessed exclusively on basis of the political situation at the moment,” he said in his address.

Hungarian-German relations are “good, intensive, and affect many areas of life,” Gulyás said.

Gulyás noted that “it has always been the German economy and German culture that had the strongest presence in Hungary”, adding that “friendship between the two peoples has prevailed even in the hardest times.” He also added that “though we will have better political ties, we can be proud of our economic and cultural relations.”

As for the economy, he said Germany’s presence was “decidedly strong”, Hungarian-German business transactions accounting for 25 percent of Hungary’s foreign trade turnover. Ninety percent of German investors in Hungary are “most satisfied” with the business environment, he added.

Citing surveys, Gulyás said most Germans viewed Hungarians positively, while over two-thirds of Hungarians had expressed their preferences for Germany.