On
September 16, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura
Harty hosted a delegation from Hungary at the second meeting of the
U.S. - Hungary working group on consular issues.
The Hungarian delegation was headed by Ambassador Györgyi
Martin- Zanathy, the head of Consular Affairs in the Hungarian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The
U.S. - Hungary Consular Working Group was established earlier this
year to discuss consular issues of mutual interest. The frank and productive meetings on September 16 focused on
the facilitation of Hungarian travel to the U.S.
The two parties agreed to concentrate on public diplomacy
efforts to inform the
Hungarian public about U.S. visa policies and procedures.
They committed to setting priorities for outreach efforts and
to developing a concrete action plan regarding how to achieve public
diplomacy goals. As
a result of the ongoing dialogue, some measures have already been
taken to improve U.S.
visa issuance procedures. These
developments were welcomed by the Hungarian side.
The
next meeting of the U.S. Hungary Consular Working Group will take
place in Hungary.
