Celebrating ties: Call to work together at Hungarian national day

ISLAMABAD: Hungary has a rich history going back thousands of years, and its capital Budapest is often rated among the most beautiful cities in the world.

On Thursday, the Hungarian embassy, with support from oil and gas giant MOL, held a large reception to celebrate the country’s national day, while also educating guests with a photo exhibit illustrating the strength of Pak-Hungary ties and  the beauty and history of the central European state.

At the entrance of the hall in Serena Hotel, right behind where Ambassador Istvan Szabo and other high-ranking officials were greeting guests, a photo exhibit illustrated some of the important moments in the relationship between Budapest and Islamabad, with images of cultural exchanges, food menus from various events, and official state-level communications relating to trade, disaster aid, and a lighter exchange via a note from former Hungarian president Arpad Goncz to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto thanking her for a gift of a carton of mangoes and celebrating “fruitful cooperation between our countries”.

The attendees included a relatively large number of local businessmen, perhaps due to the fact that the event had been supported by MOL, which has significant investments in Pakistan.



After the national anthems, during which a number of ambassadors and politicians were on stage, the speeches began with Hungarian Ambassador Szabo noting that it was a day for celebration on two counts --- the 50th anniversary of relations between Pakistan and Hungary, and the 59th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 against the Soviet-backed government of the time.

He also spoke of Hungary and Pakistan’s economic ties, and listed a number of important names from the Hungary-Pakistan relationship, including people from the arts, military, government, and business.

There was a bit of excitement in the middle of his speech as guests continued talking among themselves, forcing Argentine Ambassador and dean of the Diplomatic Corps Rodolfo Martin-Saravia to take the mike and sternly direct people to be “silent please”.

The guests quickly complied and the speeches continued.

The next speaker was a visiting Hungarian government official, Deputy State Secretary of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry Szilveszter Bus.

Bus started his speech by greeting guests in accented Urdu, which was met with hearty applause. He then smilingly reassured guests that the rest of the speech would be in English.

“As a proud European, I represent a country that registered the highest economic growth in Europe [this year],’ he said, adding a quip that some sources say second highest, but he likes the first one more. He said Budapest ranked as the most popular foreign investment destination in central Europe, and then explained how Hungary remained one of the few stable economies in Europe during the global recession.

He then spoke of how close Pakistan and Hungary’s relationship is, despite being thousands of miles apart. After detailing Hungary’s longstanding support for Pakistan in times of disaster and calamity, he mentioned how threats to world peace have changed and that “Hungary looks to Pakistan as partner in securing peace in a fragile part of the world.”

He noted that Hungary has offered 80 scholarships to Pakistani students, before closing with the remark that, “A friend in need is a friend indeed, and Hungary will remain a friend in need. We have always remained ready to support Pakistan in times of calamities. Hungary-Pakistan zindabad.”

Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan, the chief guest, was the last speaker. He began by explaining how relations began with the opening of a trade office in Karachi --- then the capital of Pakistan and still the commercial hub --- before remarking that Hungary should open trade offices in all major Pakistani cities.

He expressed hope that investment moves in both directions, saying, “We hope Pakistani companies also explore the Hungarian market,” before closing by stating, “Let us grow together, work together, and prosper together.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2015.