conference

Hungarian foreign minister calls for European cooperation on energy security

Hungary serbia foreign miniter

Europe’s central, eastern and southern regions must boost their cooperation in order to carry out projects that serve to improve the region’s energy security, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said at a Eurasian energy security forum in Belgrade on Friday.

Szijjártó named the security of energy supply as one of the biggest global challenges today, noting that it has always been a key issue in central Europe.

The minister said there were four principles Europe needed to respect concerning energy security. These, he said, included taking into consideration the interests of central and eastern European countries when deciding on energy investment projects, the elimination of double standards, letting countries decide on their own energy mix and Eurasian cooperation.

He also urged the diversification of the region’s energy supply.

As regards the use of double standards, Szijjártó argued that western European countries are rarely criticised for the measures they take to ensure their energy security, while central and eastern European countries often receive criticism. It should be made clear, he said, that

the CEE countries have the right to be treated equally to western European countries.

Szijjártó said that throughout history, central Europe had always lost out in conflicts between the east and the west. “It’s not too much to say that we don’t want to be losers anymore,” the minister said. He added that Hungary was not looking to take the side of either Russia or the United States when deciding on energy-related matters, but was looking out for the interests of Hungarians. “What’s of importance is there should be a balance between east and west,” Szijjártó said, adding that this required mutual respect.

He said there was a possibility that new energy sources would soon be discovered. He noted that the region will have an additional energy source once gas extraction gets under way in the Black Sea gas field.

Szijjártó also noted that Russian energy giant Gazprom is building two lines for the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, one of which will serve the Turkish market, with the other expected to supply gas to the Balkans and central Europe.

The minister said the Turkish Stream project was regularly the target of criticism, which he attributed to “double standards and hypocrisy”. Szijjártó noted that the largest energy project, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, was being built in western Europe. This pipeline, he noted, would transport gas from Russia to western Europe.

“We have to demand that such a development should also be made possible in central Europe,” Szijjártó said, adding that this would be the Turkish Stream pipeline.

He said the two projects were similar in the sense that they would both serve the flow of Russian gas, both involve Gazprom and they would both involve new supply routes.

The minister said:

“If the European Commission doesn’t object to the western European pipeline, then why does it object to the one planned by the smaller central European countries?”

On the topic of nuclear energy, Szijjártó noted that nuclear has been in use in Hungary since the 1980s. Around 40 percent of Hungary’s electricity is generated from nuclear energy, and the plan is to increase this share in the long run, he added.

Global Climate Action summit: Hungarian president calls for ‘more ambitious’ commitments against climate change

Global Climate Action summit in San Francisco: Hungarian president Áder calls for 'more ambitious' commitments against climate change

Protecting the Earth’s climate requires “more ambitious commitments” than those made as part of the Paris Agreement, President János Áder said on the sidelines of the Global Climate Action summit in San Francisco late on Thursday.

Áder expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of the Paris Agreement and called for action to prevent the process from slowing down.

He noted California Governor Jerry Brown’s Under 2 movement, supported by states, provinces or cities representing as many as 1.3 billion people, saying their commitment to reducing emissions by 80-95 percent could bring about significant results.

Áder insisted that

the US decision to quit the Paris Agreement would not disable its goals. “Apart from California, 17 other states think that we must proceed and increase commitments.”

Earlier on Thursday, Áder met Nicholas Stern, former economist of the World Bank, and quoted him as saying that using modern technologies to avoid climate change could bring about “a new industrial revolution” and put the economies of countries tapping that opportunity on a growth path.

He said that

climate change was happening faster than Stern earlier assumed, but the development of technology had also sped up in the past decade, noting that the price of solar panels has fallen by 90 percent, making solar energy much cheaper than earlier expected.

According to Stern, making use of 1.0-1.5 percent of GDP would be sufficient to stop climate change, Áder said.

Áder had talks with Jerry Brown, and noted afterwards California’s commitment to completely eliminating its industrial and transport emissions by 2045 as well as to making energy production entirely carbon-free.

As we wrote a few weeks ago, Hungary is to launch a nearly 200 million euros fund for water management development, Hungarian President János Áder announced in his speech at the World Water Week in Stockholm, read more HERE.

Photo: MTI

Talks on Belgrade-Budapest rail line financing could wind up by year-end

china hungary flag

Hungary and China both want to conclude talks on conditions for financing the upgrade of the Belgrade-Budapest rail line by the end of this year, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign affairs and trade minister, said in Budapest on Thursday.

Addressing a conference organised by Hungay’s railway association Hungrail, the minister noted that “intensive” negotiations with China’s export-import bank on the project’s financing are under way. The sides have agreed on the interest, maturity and currency of the loan but the stand-by fee and other conditions remain open questions, he added.

Planning and acquiring permits for the upgrade could start early next year and the project is expected to be completed by 2023, he said.

China is financing 85 percent of the cost of upgrading the rail line which it wants to use as part of an export corridor to Europe.

Szijjártó said a high-speed Budapest-Warsaw rail connection should be cut to four hours in order to be competitive,

and a feasibility study is in the pipeline.

Plans are afoot to build a high-speed railway line between Budapest and Cluj (Kolozsvár) in Romania, to be extended by Romania’s railway to Bucharest.

The feasibility study for the project will soon be ordered, the minister said.

Hungary and Slovakia have started talks on resuming traffic on all the nine railway crossings. Passenger trains currently cross the border at three points and freight trains at four.

US ambassador praises Hungary workforce at AmCham business forum in Budapest

David B. Cornstein US ambassador in Budapest

David B. Cornstein, the US ambassador to Hungary, at a business forum organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (AmCham) on Tuesday, described Hungary’s workforce as “exceptional” and “highly intelligent”.

Cornstein highlighted Hungary’s low corporate tax rate and said the government’s measures encourage business activity.

He said it was “terrible” that

Hungary receives 80 percent of its energy supply from a single other country.

The ambassador said he believed the Hungarian government shares this sentiment, adding that they were working to have the US supply 40 percent of the country’s energy needs.

Cornstein called Russia a “disruptive” nation.

On another subject, the ambassador called the situation of Budapest’s Central European University (CEU) an emotional affair. He said it would be unfortunate if the CEU moved to Vienna, adding, at the same time, that he believed a solution to the problem was near.

As we wrote a few days ago, David B. Cornstein, the United States’ ambassador to Hungary, said he has not experienced any infringement on freedom rights in Hungary and should the case be the opposite, he would certainly speak out against that, in an interview published by Jewish political and cultural magazine Shabbat, read more HERE.

ambassador Hungary USA Budapest
László Szabó, Hungary’s ambassador to the US and David B. Cornstein US ambassador

László Szabó, Hungary’s ambassador to the US, said many aspects of the two countries’ relations have changed over the past year.

He noted that US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke on the phone for the second time shortly before Cornstein had taken up his post in Budapest this past summer and thanked the ambassador for his support.

Szabó said the two countries’ trade relations have “never been better”. Hungarian exports to the US increased by more than 6 percent, while imports rose by 4 percent in Q2 of this year, he said.

Though bilateral relations went through some difficulties during the Obama administration, the two countries were allies in many ways, Szabó said.

More than 1,000 Hungarian troops participated in NATO missions in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan as well as in the fight against the Islamic State terrorist organisation, he added.

Szabo announced that Hungary will open a new incubator in Washington.

Last year, US companies made numerous significant investments in Hungary, the ambassador said, adding that US-based firms employ more than 100,000 people in Hungary.

He said significant progress had been made in getting American liquefied natural gas to Hungary and voiced hope that once this goal is accomplished, Russia’s dominance of the natural gas market would come to an end.

Photo: MTI

Hungarian President Áder: Climate change threatening future of civilisation

President Áder Hungary

Climate change is the largest threat for mankind, threatening the future of human civilisation, President János Áder told a conference organised by the European Meteorological Society in Budapest on Monday.

In his opening address to the conference, Hungarian President Áder asked participants to put forward their information on climate change with “unrelenting straightforwardness” so that those facts “cannot be bypassed by economic leaders and political decision makers”.

Scientists have an obligation to make people and political communities face the consequences of their actions as well as to continually warn them that

“the more we postpone our decisions the more radical changes will be necessary.”

Áder insisted that bush fires in several countries, serious draught in Europe and floods affecting millions in Asia this summer have been a “dramatic reminder of irresponsible management in the past decades”. He argued that even though man has been aware of the greenhouse effect in the climate for 200 years, the emission of greenhouse gases is still on the increase.

Climate change is “clearly visible, and we have sufficient data and experience,”

the president said, and stressed that “despite repeated expressions of political will, joint action is still to be taken”.

As we wrote yesterday, 25 years ago the residents of Budapest had to endure four truly hot days (above 32 Celsius degree) a year, while in the 2010s it has increased to 12. According to the most likely forecast models by the end of the century, this number is going to reach a whole month, read more HERE.

Photo: MTI

Hungary to set up 200 million euros water development fund

President Áder Stockholm

Hungary is to launch a nearly 200 million euros fund for water management development, Hungarian President János Áder announced in his speech at the World Water Week in Stockholm on Wednesday.

The fund is to help the implementation of technological innovations, Áder said.

It will raise efficiency in infrastructure development by cutting the time for execution and boosting the return on investments, he said.

Commenting on a report of UN Water, Áder backed the body’s call to triple the annual funding for water investment of about 200 million dollars a year. The move would be necessary to stop the looming water crisis, he said. Áder noted that a new approach would also be needed “to incorporate the value of water into policy and financial decisions”.

“Prevention is much more important than damage control,” he said.

The president said that the most water-needy sector is agriculture and highlighted a Hungarian innovation which improves the soil’s water balance, reducing draught damage and pollution. He noted the Eindhoven biological water purification plant which was built in Dutch-Hungarian cooperation. Its investment and operational costs are about 25-30 percent smaller than those of an average plant, he said.

Budapest is to host the next Budapest Water Summit in October 2019, he noted.

This event will focus on preventing a water crisis by funding water management developments, he said.

Photo: MTI

‘Absurd’ to expect Europe to take everyone in, says House Speaker in Calvinistic conference

conference Calvinistic

It is “absurd” to demand that Europe should automatically take in every migrant seeking a higher standard of living just because some countries have lower living standards than Europe, House Speaker László Kövér said at a conference on migration in Balatonszárszó, western Hungary late on Thursday.

Hungary has and will continue to take in anyone in need or facing persecution, but both the Hungarian government and the Hungarian people reject the idea of granting automatic entry to people,

Kövér said in a roundtable discussion that also involved Gergely Gulyás, head of the Prime Minister’s Office, and István Bogárdi Szabó, head of the Hungarian Reformed Church’s synod, at the Gathering of Reformed People. “This approach does not contradict Christian morals,” the house speaker added.

The international community, Europe and the European Union have a responsibility in how they manage and resolve the problems fuelling mass migration in other parts of the world, he said, adding that these issues should be debated at international forums rather than at a national level.

International forums “shouldn’t be busy with” forcing nation states to accept mass migration, but rather with organising international operations and schemes allowing the improvement of living standards in countries that millions are fleeing, Kover said.

Gulyás said every state’s primary responsibility was for its own citizens. “Others should be helped without endangering our own society,” he said.

“Instead of bringing trouble over here, help should be provided at the point where it is needed,” he added.

On the topic of the emigration of Hungarians, Gulyás said the phenomenon Hungary was dealing with was more about the free movement of labour. When Hungary voted in favour of joining the EU, it knew that doing so would allow each and every Hungarian to take up work in any country within the bloc, the PM’s Office chief said.

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But Gulyás added that “proportionally Hungary is still in good shape because this is the country from where the fewest people have left for western Europe.” However, the government’s goal is to close the gap in living standards to the West, so that Hungarians working there will consider returning, he said.

Bogárdi Szabó said it was worthwhile discussing migration into Europe, emigration from Hungary as well as internal migration.

As regards that latter, he said two-fifths of Hungarians left their hometowns over the past 50-60 years.

Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom – Hungary to continue supporting Middle East Christians

The Hungarian government is continuing its policy of supporting Christian communities in the Middle East, the foreign minister said after attending a conference on religious freedom and the protection of religious communities organised by the US State Department in Washington, DC late on Thursday.

Speaking to MTI by phone, Péter Szijjártó said the annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom was attended by representatives from 80 nations, including 20 ministers. Szijjarto quoted US Vice-President Mike Pence as telling the conference that religious freedom was a top priority of the Trump administration.

Szijjártó also addressed the event, speaking about the importance of protecting Christian communities.

“The context cropping up in international public discourse that anti-Christianity is the last acceptable form of discrimination is unacceptable,” the minister said. “We reject this in the strongest terms.”

“We stand by our view that Christians have just as much right to religious freedom and a safe life as any other religious community in the world.”

Szijjártó added, at the same time, that Middle East Christian communities face “unparalleled persecution and suffering” at the hands of terrorist groups like the Islamic State. Over the past several years, hundreds of thousands of Christian families have been forced to leave their homes because of these groups, he said.

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This is why it is so crucial to completely eliminate the Islamic State, he said, adding, however, that

“we cannot rest until the international community ensures that Christians forced to flee their homes in the Middle East can return to their homes” and “exercise equal rights” with other communities in the region.

Hungary will continue its policy of supporting Christian communities in the Middle East, Szijjártó said, noting the allocation of 4.5 billion forints (EUR 13.8m) in central government spending in support of these communities over the past two years.

Conference marking the first anniversary of the death of Helmut Kohl – Orbán: No compromise over migration

Orbán Helmut Kohl

A compromise cannot be made in the dispute over migration, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Saturday, and added that “there is no need for such a compromise”.

Orbán addressed a conference marking the first anniversary of the death of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and said we know of no such document that says “if you join the European Union, you must become a country for migrants”.

Orbán also said that

“Hungary is aware of its strength, weight and responsibilities in the EU and does not seek to assume a political role at the European level”.

“We are a proud people, which knows itself and assesses the situation realistically. Where we do have definite ambitions is Central Europe and the Visegrad Four,” he insisted. He added that Hungary wants to be one of the region’s “strong and closely cooperating countries which help and encourage each other”.

The prime minister said that building a strong Europe requires strong nation-states. Concerning the EU, he said that the community was “still rich but weakening” and insisted that the future of Europe was conditional on its ability to protect its external borders. Once those borders are protected, he said, the migrants already in Europe “will not need to be distributed but returned home”.

Orbán said that

Hungary could help common European policies in several areas such as “offering a good example in economic reforms or assistance in returning migrants back home”.

“Assistance needs to be exported rather than importing problems,” he added. He also said that, apart from its readiness to help and advise Europe, Hungary will continue to stick to its position and “will not be forced to do something we do not want”. He said that

if members of the community “cannot accept or at least tolerate each other’s standpoint concerning migration or the EU budget, they should wait for voters to express their wish at the European Parliamentary elections in 2019″.

“Then come what may,” he added.

Photo: MTI

Hungarian government to prepare action plan to promote investment

Daily News Hungary

The government will prepare a plan to “make Hungary an even more attractive destination for investment“, the foreign minister told a business forum organised by the American Chamber of Commerce on Friday.

Péter Szijjártó said that the plan would be prepared in cooperation with innovation and technology minister László Palkovics based on proposal received at the end of June.

On another subject, Szijjártó said that

his government is against plans to unify tax brackets across Europe because “it would award irresponsible economic policies”.

Tax cuts should follow political and economic achievements, they are “not given for free”, Szijjártó said. He insisted that “not all EU members” have consolidated their fiscal policies and cannot afford cutting taxes.

Szijjártó also said that economic ties between Europe, the US and China are weakened by trade disputes, which “should be avoided”. He noted that exports accounted for 90 percent of Hungary’s GDP, three quarters of those exports going to Europe while the US and China were the second and third largest trading partners of the country.

Hungary has an interest in free trade which “offers equal opportunities to all”, he added.

Christian churches often reluctant to bring up issue of persecution, says Hungarian government official

Daily News Hungary

Often even Christian churches are reluctant to bring up the issue of Christian persecution and acknowledge problems by their name, the deputy state secretary for aiding persecuted Christians said in an interview from Ottawa, Canada late on Thursday.

Tristan Azbej was in the Canadian capital to attend a conference on the persecution and aiding of Christians in the Middle East and Africa organised by the Hungarian embassy in collaboration with the human resources ministry. The conference also included an exhibition on the subject.

Speaking to MTI, Azbej noted that Thursday’s was not the first conference organised by Hungary on the persecution of Christians, adding, at the same time, that this forum explored new aspects of the issue.

One of the questions raised was why Christian churches are often reluctant to address the issue of Christian persecution.

“Western Christians feel a sort of guilt that shifts the blame for crimes committed during the Crusades and the era of colonisation to Christian churches, so they give in to the neoliberal principle suggesting that Christianity is an aggressive religion,” the deputy state secretary said.

Christian churches, he said, were “afraid” to point out that Islamic extremists were responsible for the persecution of Christians.

Azbej said the academics, researchers, diplomats, religious representatives and Canadian MPs in attendance at the conference had expressed their appreciation for Hungary’s “honest and straightforward” remarks on the issue of religious persecution and all that the government is doing to help persecuted Christians.

“It’s hard to narrow down the problem of Christian persecution to a single country or region,”

Azbej said. “They [Christians] currently face persecution in 80 countries, but most of the attention is of course directed towards the Middle East.” The deputy state secretary noted that over the last decade, Syria’s Christian population had shrunk from more than 2 million to 800,000, with most Christians living as internal refugees in their homeland. But the biggest population decline happened in Iraq, which went from 1.5 million Christians in 2004 to 300,000 today. “Even the number of Coptic Christians has been halved,” he added.

“The number one task today is breaking down the wall of silence,” Azbej said, adding that Christian Democrats should include the representatives of other religions in this mission, too. He said that at the conference, Muslims had also expressed their support for Christianity, and had clearly named Islamic extremists as those responsible for the persecution of Christians.

“One of the Shia Imams in attendance said the persecution of Christians was not the problem of Christians but that of Muslims and that all well-intentioned Muslims must stand up for Christians,” Azbej recalled.

He said the conference was also attended by Eastern Christian church leaders as well as Jewish leaders, all of whom had expressed their support for persecuted Christians.

Conference on the economic partnership agreement between the EU and Japan held in Budapest

Japanese Ambassador Sato Kuni Hungary

“Rapid and comprehensive changes are going on within global politics and the global economy; old friendships are being broken and alliances of interests that previously seemed unlikely are coming into being. In such a turbulent period, it is in the interests of both the European Union and Hungary to forge alliances”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday in Budapest at a conference on the economic partnership agreement between the European Union and Japan.

According to the Minister, the free trade agreement is also important because in addition to being the world’s third largest economy, Japan is also one of the flagships of the new, innovative global economic era, adding that the treaty will enable the establishment of a bloc that provides one quarter of the world’s GDP.

Mr. Szijjártó also spoke about the fact that the European Union is facing security, political and economic challenges. “With the exit of Great Britain it will be the first time in the history of the European Union that the number of member states is decreasing, and the community’s economic performance will be reduced by 14 percent”, he noted.

Szijjarto: Free trade with Japan in EU, Hungary's interest
Szijjártó: Free trade with Japan in EU, Hungary’s interest – Photo: MTI

“The European Union has been unable to conclude a free trade agreement that has been fully implemented since 2011”, the Minister recalled, warning that the continent will fall behind its competitors unless it can speed-up decision-making.

“From a Hungarian perspective, the bilateral agreement will help to further increase our trade turnover with Japan, which already exceeded 2 billion euros last year”, Mr. Szijjártó said.

“As a small and open economy with a great deal of creativity and which is capable of renewal, it is in Hungary’s interests for trade to be free and fair, and available to everyone with equal conditions”, he pointed out.

The Minister said he hoped the trade war that has broken out between the United Sates, the European Union and China will be resolved peacefully, through agreements, as soon as possible.

“In the Hungarian economy, the export to GDP ratio is 90 percent. 70 percent of exports are destined for the European Union, following which the United States and China are the 2nd and 3rd most important target countries for Hungarian exports”, he explained.

Japanese Ambassador Sato Kuni said that without the support of European citizens and enterprises the free trade agreement between her country and the European Union could not have come about.

According to the Ambassador, the treaty facilitates the economic growth of both the EU and Japan, in addition to which it will also have a positive effect on the development of trade relations and on social prosperity.

Next year marks the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Japan,

she noted, adding that she expects bilateral relations to continue to improve in future.

Sri Lanka tourism targets Hungary as a source market

Sri Lanka Budapest Hungary

he Eastern European region saw a growth in tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during 2017 and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) selected Hungary as a country to offer special programs to Hungarian tourists in 2018. Officials from LTPB announced these programs at the Sri Lankan – Hungarian Tour Business Forum – Road Show on 17th of May 2018 at the Araz Continental Hotel Budapest.

From 14th to 17th of May this year, in Warsaw, Cracow and Budapest took place meetings of the local representatives of the tourist industry with Sri Lankan tour operators, as a part of Sri Lanka Road Shows 2018. The event was initiated by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and aimed at strengthening the existing cooperation in the field of tourist activities and establishing new business contacts between countries.

Sri Lanka Business Forum – Road Show 2018, is part of the East European action organized by SLTPB. The first gatherings took place on May 17 in Budapest, bringing together representatives of Hungarian travel agencies who had the opportunity to talk with a large representation of the Sri Lankan tourist industry during B2B sessions.

“Sri Lanka is a place where everyone will find something for themselves – from high mountains, through tea plantations, to palm jungles and beautiful beaches. Lovers of wild nature will see here a huge variety of species of fauna and flora, and the fascinates of history and monuments at every step will discover traces of our more than 2,550-year-old cultural heritage” – said Madubhani Perera.

Sri Lanka Budapest Hungary
Photo: Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB)

However, that’s not all. Sri Lanka is also a perfect place for people who value active leisure. We have excellent conditions for trekking, rafting, surfing, paragliding, balloon flights, riding in the mountains on bicycles and playing golf. All these elements make us very much interested in building the image of Sri Lanka as a destination and the Central European market is very important to us in this respect – said Madubhani Perera, director of marketing from the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, discussing the island’s major attractions thereby highlighting the great diversity of its tourist offer.

Hungary has seen a rapid growth in tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka and has strong flight connectivity from Budapest.

The number of tourists from Hungary in 2017 was 4951, and 2512 Hungarian travellers had already visited Sri Lanka this year by April 2018. Currently, over 2 million tourists arrived in the country from all over the world.

Eastern Europe is a growing market for Sri Lanka. For example, over 15 000 Polish tourists visited last year. Sri Lanka continues to receive numerous endorsements and achievements throughout the years and has a made a well-established mark on the global stage as an ideal travel destination for people who love to explore and have the holiday of a lifetime.

Tourism is currently the third largest foreign exchange earner to the country after foreign remittance by Sri Lankan workers overseas and the apparel industry. It had received 3.5 billions USD income last year. For the past 4 months the country received over 880,000 tourists showing a growth of 16.7 %.

National Geographic has selected Sri Lanka as a country to have the best spring trips in 2018. In 2017, Sri Lanka Tourism was awarded Asia’s Leading Destination and Asia’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination at the world travel awards ceremony held in the Maldives and also received Conde Nast reader‘s travel awards 2017, receiving the award as the favourite emerging overseas destination. Several other endorsements were made by the international press including ‘’where to go in 2017 –the 20 destinations that will be especially hot this year’’ by Bloomberg, ‘’Galle, Sri Lanka’s top winter trips of 2017 for the warm weather ‘’ by National Geographic Travel, and the ‘’ 10 hottest travel destinations of 2017 ‘’ by Vogue, UK. This latest endorsement has further proved that Sri Lanka is becoming a top travel destination which offers everything for the perfect holiday vacation. The World Surf League has named Arugam Bay as the Surfing Capital of Asia.

“Discovery Channel” describes Unawatuna as The Best Beach in the world.

Hikkaduwa, Nilaveli, Trinco and Passikudah are famous as places for the best swimming and snorkelling experiences.
The SLTPB vision for 2020 is to make Sri Lanka the most authentic, memorable and diverse destination. With a target of 4.5 millions tourists to the country with revenue target of 7 billions USD.

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) currently has identified the top-5 key markets – India, China, United Kingdom, Germany and France.

Sri Lanka Budapest Hungary
Photo: Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB)

 

Conference for Young Researchers was held on in Szent István University

conference Szent István University

The 3rd International Young Researcher Scientific Conference on “Sustainable Regional Development – Challenges of Space & Society in the 21st Century” Focus on the Challenges of Space & Society in the 21 st Century.

Ragif HuseynovThe Enyedi György Doctoral School of Regional Sciences has recently organized the 3rd International Scientific Conference for Young Researchers at Szent István University. Ragif Huseynov, a Ph.D. student of the doctoral school, had initiated this conference series with the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) in 2015.

The latest conference themed as “Sustainable Regional Development – Challenges of Space & Society in the 21st Century” was organized on the 26th of April 2018.

It was organized by students of the Enyedi György Doctoral School of Regional Sciences under the supervision of associate professor Dr. habil Henrietta Nagy and associate professor Dr. habil Khademi-Vidra Anikó. The main objectives of the conference were to encourage young scientific researchers to share knowledge and to contribute to the development of an inter- and multidisciplinary regional perspective. More than 150 participants from 32 different countries participated that scientific forum.

The theme of the certain conference sections concerned the current agricultural trends, circumstances of local communities, contemporary studies on regional competitiveness, the importance of environmental approaches in territorial development and the latest innovations in the field of tourism and marketing. The event was dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

conference Szent István University

The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Hungary, H.E. Mr. Vilayat Guliyev
The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Hungary, H.E. Mr. Vilayat Guliyev

Hungarian FM calls on EU to support Central Asia anti-migration efforts in Tajikistan

Dusanbe tajikistan hungary

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó at a conference on Friday in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, said Hungary wants the European Union to raise its support for Central Asian countries so that they can protect their borders and avoid becoming transit countries for migrants from Afghanistan to Europe.

Szijjártó told MTI by phone that

“European security starts in Central Asia”.

Migration from Afghanistan is mainly directed to Europe, he added.

Cooperation with Central Asia is especially important because it is instrumental in preventing a migration wave from Afghanistan to Europe, he said, speaking from the conference on action against terrorism and extremist ideologies organised by the United Nations, the EU and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Information sharing between Europe and Central Asia should be intensified in order to identify terrorists and those suspected of terrorism, Szijjártó said.

Security risks in Europe recently reached a peak in the past few decades and another migration wave should be avoided at all costs, he said.

Pakistan has also taken steps to remove illegal Afghan migrants from the country, he noted.

On the sidelines of the conference, Szijjártó also met Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Foreign Minister Sirodjidin Aslov, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office, Vladimir Voronkov, and foreign ministers of other countries in the region.

Szijjártó and Tajik ministers also signed agreements on cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and water management.

Photo: MTI

Success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest – PHOTO GALLERY

HTCC Africa Expo

During seven years, 136 exhibitors and 26 different African countries have represented themselves at the Africa Expo in Budapest. Quarter million visitors were interested in the event that took place in the Travel Exhibition this year as well. Globoport.hu wrote about the occasion.

HTCC Africa Expo

Sándor Balogh, the chairperson of the African Hungarian Union, opened the event with a thought:

“People are not African because they were born there, they are African because Africa was born in them.”

According to him, the Africa Expos aim to charm the visitors with Africa’s beauty and show them what a diverse continent it is. Leading decision makers of the world have realised that Africa is home to such natural treasures that are important for the other continents as well.

HTCC Africa Expo

Culture and business

Africa has a growing interest in our country and many African people want to get to know our culture or even study in Hungary. Curiosity works in the other way as well since HTCC (Hungarian Trade and Cultural Center) help Hungarian people meet the African culture and build successful businesses there.

Botswana, South-Africa, Gambia, Ghana, Malawi, Morocco and Uganda already have Hungarian houses in the continent that is not only diverse but can also be the economic centre of the next quarter or half century.” – said Sándor Balogh.

He also quoted a Mandinka saying:

“A lot of small people in a lot of small places doing a lot of small things can change the world after all.”

Programmes

The Expo had a rich scale of programmes such as informing the visitors about business opportunities from Malawi to Morocco. Additionally, African born celebrities like Sena Dagadu, Kembe Sorel, and other famous experts and writers. Abdoul Camara, a Senegalese prize-winner dancer, entertained visitors with his bafalon play and acrobatic dance.

Children could admire the African four-toed hedgehog and the curious chameleon changing its colours thank for the Kaméleon Sziget (Chameleon Island). Moreover, Taita Foundation entertained the smallest ones with crafts and pearl beading besides African board games and mask making in the kids’ corner.

There were two special exhibitions at the expo as well. Little kids from Malawi could photograph their everyday life after a crash-course. The Földkelte Alapítvány (Earthrise Foundation) showed the best photos at the Ismerd meg a Világot (Get to Know the World) exhibition. One could also look at the Masks of Africa: the valuable and most beautiful pieces of a private collection called Burkina Fasótól Kongóig (From Burkina Faso to Congo), that were never presented before.

Success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest
The success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest
Success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest
The success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest
Success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest
The success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest
Success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest
The success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest
Success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest
The success of the 7th HTCC Africa Expo in Budapest

Photos: globoport.hu/KONKOLY THEGE GYÖRGY

7th HTCC Africa Expo – Get to know Africa better

logo HTCC

Travel around Africa in four days in the heart of Budapest. The 7th HTCC Africa Expo invites you to enjoy four wonderful days exploring the beauty and hidden treasures of Africa at its exhibition. Let us meet at the Expo from the 1st to the 4th of March.

About the Expo

Get to know Nigeria, Congo, Togo or Senegal better. Members of HTCC (Hungarian Trade & Cultural Center) inform you about the latest business opportunities from Malawi to Morocco. Meet experts, writers, and celebrities who love Africa, such as Sena Dagadu or Kembe Sorel. Take pleasure in admiring the balafon play and acrobatic dance of Abdoul Camara, a prize-winner Senegalese dancer. Listen to the talented Djakali Kone playing the so-called African kora (harp) from Burkina Faso. The 7th HTCC African Expo and Fair is waiting for you with the original African atmosphere, an animal show, spectacular programmes, and loads of information about Africa.

Africa Expo African dance HTCC

“There are a lot of negative aspects about Africa and just a few people know the beauties and values of this continent. It is a great mistake. It is worth exploring the wonders and treasures of Africa!” Sena Dagadu singer, one of the supporters of the 7th HTCC Africa EXPO

Exhibitions and tickets

The event takes place at the Hungexpo Budapest Fair Center (1101 Budapest, Albertirsai street 10.) from the first to the fourth of March. The four days long event is a co-event of the Travel Show at HUNGEXPO Budapest Fair Center. Furthermore, one ticket is valid for the simultaneous exhibitions: the Bike Expo, the Futó Expo (Running Expo), and the 6. Járatlan Utakon Fesztivál (6th Unknown Pathways Festival). The first 150 places for the 7th HTCC African Expo and Fair (both the opening ceremony and the conference) are free. If all of those are sold out, you can buy tickets on the spot or online.

Africa Expo African dance HTCC

Programmes for kids

The Kaméleon Sziget (Chameleon Island) makes it possible to admire the African four-toed hedgehog and the curious chameleon changing its colours. Moreover, Taita Foundation entertains kids with craft activities, pearl beading, African board games, and masks at the kids’ corner.

Special exhibitions

There are two special exhibitions at the expo. Little kids from Malawi could photograph their everyday life after a crash-course. The Földkelte Alapítvány (Earthrise Foundation) shows the best photos at the Ismerd meg a Világot (Get to Know the World) exhibition. You can also look at the Masks of Africa: the valuable and most beautiful pieces of a private collection called Burkina Fasótól Kongóig (From Burkina Faso to Congo), that were never presented before.

Africa Expo African dance HTCC

Prizes

If you sign up for the newsletter at the Utazz Afrikába Utazási Iroda (Travel to Africa Tour Operator) booth, you can win a discounted trip to Senegal, and if you book any trips to Africa, you will be able to get even more discounts.

More information

Come and join us from the 1st to the 4th of March. Our address is Hungexpo Budapest Fair Center (1101 Budapest, Albertirsai street 10.) For more information, visit the event’s website. There, you can find the Exhibition Catalogue and the detailed schedule of the Opening Ceremony and the Conference.

If you want to read about more exhibitions in Budapest, take a look at the  following:

Photos: Hungarian Trade & Cultural Center (HTCC)

Featured image: www.facebook.com/HungarianTradeAndCulturalCenter