US ambassador Bell: US maintains continuous ties with Hungarian government

Budapest (MTI) – The United States maintains continuous, high-level ties with the Hungarian government, and cooperation is particularly strong in the fields of the military, law enforcement and trade, US Ambassador to Hungary Colleen Bell told commercial ATV channel in a special interview on Saturday.

Asked why the US president has not met Hungary’s prime minister, the ambassador said that Barack Obama and Viktor Orbán did meet frequently on different occasions, and a number of high-ranking US government officials have visited Hungary.

Both countries are members of the international coalition fighting against the Islamic State terrorist organisation and they are cooperating within NATO, too, she said.

More than 230 US companies are operating in Hungary, employing a total workforce of nearly 100,000, Bell said.

Bilateral commercial relations could even be strengthened if the pact on Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could be finally concluded, which would be beneficial to both countries, she said.

As an ethical public life is the bedrock of all societies and corruption undermines everything, one should sincerely and clearly speak about the problem and make efforts to stifle corruption, the ambassador said.

Source: MTI/ATV