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Remarks by Béla Szombati
Mr. President,
It is a distinct honor and privilege to present to you the Letter of Credence by which the President of the Republic of Hungary appoints me to serve as Ambassador, as well as the Letter of Recall of my predecessor. The fact that I am the seventh Ambassador of a free Hungary to the United States since the democratic transition of the early 1990s, and the fourth since our alliance has been formalized by Hungary’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1999, gives one a sense of how far Hungarian–American relations have come since the political transformation of Central and Eastern Europe and the end of the Cold War. This year’s commemorative events recalling the 20th anniversary of the opening of our borders with Austria allowing tens of thousands of East Germans to flee to the West illustrate the magnitude of the changes and the pivotal role Hungary played in hastening the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today, Hungary’s commitment to the defense and promotion of human rights, human dignity and freedom continues, as underlined by the Government’s decision to accept for resettlement a former detainee from Guantanamo, helping thereby the planned closure of the detention facility.
We in Central Europe have noted with satisfaction the symbolism of your trip to Berlin during your quest for the Presidency. Your participation as President at the Prague Summit this spring was a reassurance that your Administration will remain engaged in our part of the world. This is an engagement that we welcome and encourage. Our common efforts to bring stability to and strengthen democracy in Afghanistan remain high on our joint agenda, and the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe increasingly need our attention and assistance to finally overcome decades of conflict and turmoil. Europe cannot be considered wholly free and at peace until key countries – including Serbia and Ukraine – are fully integrated into the European security, economic and political structures, allaying at the same time Russian fears that such efforts are directed against them. It is equally important that we continue to work together in supporting the democratic aspirations of peoples everywhere – including in Cuba, where Hungary can play a special role in sharing the experience of its own peaceful transition to democracy.
Mr. President,
I am taking up my post as Ambassador at a time when the world is witnessing unforeseen economic and political turbulences. This presents not only challenges but also opportunities for Europe and the United States to reassert their role as leaders, in addressing the crisis. It is my conviction that only by working closely together, building on the values that we share and have consistently stood up for in the past, can we be effective in managing the current crisis and can we arrive at an outcome that will fix the shortcomings of the current regulatory framework while preserving the fundamentals of our economic system, such as free markets and free enterprise.
As you know, Hungary itself has not been immune to the global economic downturn. We can now say, however, that the worst is behind us and the Government has succeeded in stabilizing the country’s finances, creating an indispensable condition of returning to growth, regaining the confidence of investors and business partners thanks to its adherence to a strict but necessary fiscal regime. I trust that your Administration has noted the progress Hungary has made on these fronts and that we can count on your support in further reinvigorating our economy. At a time when trust is of paramount importance, we certainly need and welcome such reassurances.
Maybe for the first time in our post-Cold War relations, an incoming Ambassador is in the enviable position of being able to note the absence of major unresolved issues in our bilateral relationship since visa-free travel to the United States became a reality for Hungarians last year. This increased ease of mobility has already had a favorable impact on Hungarian citizens’ views of the U.S. and their decisions to visit, and do business in, your country. I firmly believe that these direct contacts between the citizens of our countries will take our relationship to a higher level, strengthen the bond of friendship between our nations, and help our cooperation and contribution to the common efforts to make the world a better, safer place.
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