Külügyi Szemle - A Magyar Külügyi Intézet folyóirata - 2014 (13. évfolyam)
2014 / 2. szám - BRIT-MAGYAR KAPCSOLATOK - Knott, Jonathan: Some Thoughts on British-Hungarian Relations, 2014
Some Thoughts on British-Hungarian Relations Commercially, the Embassy works closely with the British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary. One of the fruits of this cooperation is the creation of the British Business Centre, which opened in March. It helps small and medium-sized businesses from Britain to find and open up partnerships with Hungarian companies. Our vision is that by the end of 2018, with the contribution of the British Business Centre, the number of UK companies selling in the Hungarian market will double from 4700 to 9400. Cultural Links Links between governments and businesses are important. But what adds colour to a bilateral relationship are the links between people and cultures. We have British bands playing at and indeed headlining the Sziget Festival year after year. Sziget also has good links with Glastonbury, the largest music festival in Europe. In arts, National Gallery treasures from London have been exhibited in Budapest. We have also supported the beaming live of the London National Theatre performances to the Uránia cinema in Budapest so that Hungarians can follow in real time what is happening in British theatre. In sports, we share a passion for football, something I was reminded of last November when Hungarians celebrated sixty years since that match in Wembley. I hope that we will soon once again see a British club team playing here in Hungary. The UK-Hungary 'bilateral relationship' is a strong one. It is built from the personal leadership of both Prime Ministers but also from the myriad interactions that occur every day between Hungarian and British people, businesses and civil society organisations. The strong relationship between the two Governments ensures that we can work together, in a spirit of collaboration, on the issues we both care about. It also means that we can speak to one other with frankness and honesty about issues and events in our own two countries. Both are important for a healthy and mature relationship. Jonathan Knott British Ambassador to Hungary . nyár 2014 13
