Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács held talks on Hungarian economic and social issues during the course of his two-day visit to New York, which ended on Friday.

In a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI, the Government Spokesperson said he had held talks with business consulting company KPMG, met with leading journalists from the influential The Wall Street Journal, and met with members of the local Hungarian community and with representatives of two American Jewish organisations.

At KPMG, Mr. Kovács explained the Hungarian economy’s economic priorities, and at The Wall Street Journal, which is an important business and political paper among decision-makers, interest was also primarily shown with relation to the Hungarian economy. In reply to a question from MTI, the Government Spokesperson said that all of his negotiating partners were primarily interested in how the Hungarian state budget was being put in order and in the country’s tax reforms, which are regarded as successful.

Mr. Kovács also expressed satisfaction with relation to his meeting with members of the Hungarian community, which was held in New York’s Hungarian House. The Government Spokesperson said that in his opinion if the number of students attending Hungarian schools increases and Hungarian cultural programmes are held often and with quality content, it is thanks to the Hungarian Government’s policy of supporting cross-border Hungarian communities and Hungarians living in the diaspora.

On Friday, the Government Spokesperson also held talks with representatives of two American Jewish organisations. “It is always good to engage in open and honest dialogue”, Mr. Kovács said with relation to the talks. Speaking with relation to his discussions with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), he told MTI that his negotiating partners had praised the achievements of Hungary’s civil government, including the fact that the administration has declared a policy of zero tolerance with regard to anti-Semitism. The main topic of discussion with representatives of the other organisation, the American Jewish Congress (AJC) was how the security of Jews can be preserved amidst the current situation in which Europe is under stress from a migration crisis. Also discussed were opportunities to further reinforce Hungarian-Israeli economic relations.

Mr. Kovács also visited the memorial and museum in Lower Manhattan at the site of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre that were destroyed in the terrorist attack on 11 September 2001.

(MTI)