At
the invitation of Ms. Karina Koskenalusta, Honorary Consul of Hungary
in Illionis, Ambassador András Simonyi visited Chicago March 2-3,
2003.
On
March 2, Ambassador Simonyi attended the concert "Magyar
Forever," organized by the Hungarian Club of Chicago and
the Executives' Club of Chicago as part of the "Concertante di
Chicago" program series and held in the concert hall of
DePaul University. The mainly
Hungarian repertoire featured pieces by Zoltán Kodály, Miklós Rózsa
and Gyula Fekete. Mr. Fekete also attended the concert. Mr. Fekete's
opera "Roman Forever" was
a unique element of the program and the performance of the two singers
was well received by the audience. After the concert, Ambassador
Simonyi met with the representatives of the Hungarian community at a
reception.
On
March 3, Ambassador Simonyi met with several potential American
investors from the Chicago area. He gave a
live
interview on WebFN, an
Internet-based television station specializing in the broadcast of
streaming financial news. The Ambassador spoke to "In
Stock" anchorman David Jennings about Hungarian policies toward
Iraq, the root causes of anti-Americanism, and the need for the U.S.
and Europe to stick together in these trying times. Ambassador
Simonyi said he believed that a stronger, politically united EU
would be a better partner for the U.S. as well. Hungary, said Mr.
Simonyi, tried to encourage European unity through Prime Minister
Medgyessy's signing of the "letter of eight."
The
Ambassador then attended an editorial meeting at the Chicago Tribune.
He concluded his program with a business luncheon, where he met
with high-ranking representatives of the business community and
delivered a speech about politics and the investment environment in
Hungary. The message of his speech was that "investing in Hungary
is investing in an enlarged Europe."
Ambassador
Simonyi met with the Chief of Protocol of the Mayor of Chicago, who
personally delivered Mayor Daley's letter to the Ambassador on the
occasion of his first visit to the city. The Governor of Illinois has
also sent his personal greetings and a gift for Ambassador Simonyi.
