The oath-taking ceremony of Hungary’s newly appointed Honorary Consuls to the Netherlands, Mr Dirk Beljaarts, Mr Alfred Evers and Mr Seerp Leistra, took place on 10 March 2016 within the framework of the National Day reception organised by the Embassy of Hungary in The Hague.

The consular commissions of the three Honorary Consuls residing in Amsterdam, Sittard and Groningen respectively were presented by chargé d’affaires Zoltán Lékó in the presence of numerous guests, including prominent representatives of the Hungarian community in the Netherlands. The appointments were signed by Mr Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. The predecessors of the new Honorary Consuls retired last year, receiving a high-level state decoration from the President of the Republic of Hungary.

As highly respected Dutch citizens with excellent reputations within their consular districts, the Honorary Consuls will work to strengthen Dutch-Hungarian economic and cultural relations and to further bilateral cooperation.

Mr Dirk Beljaarts, Honorary Consul of Hungary in the provinces of Utrecht, Zuid-Holland and Noord-Holland, has built a successful career in the tourism and hotel industry and is currently general manager of the renowned Novotel Amsterdam City.

With decades of diplomatic experience, Mr Alfred Evers, Honorary Consul of Hungary in the provinces of Limburg, Noord-Brabant and Zeeland, is director of an independent consultancy firm and has a wide professional network in Hungary.

Mr Seerp Leistra, Honorary Consul of Hungary with jurisdiction over the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, has not only won recognition in the field of financial and business consultancy; as a talented musician he has also been a fervent supporter of Hungarian music and culture.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)