Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó opened the Hungarian Cultural Season, which will run from March to October, in Tel-Aviv on Tuesday evening, on the thirtieth anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Israel.

“The cultural programmes, which will be held at various locations in several cities throughout the country, will showcase both Hungarian traditions and contemporary arts; a broad palette of Hungarian culture will be presented from jazz to Hungarian gastronomy, and from folk dance to opera and operetta”, the Minister said at the official opening before members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of the local Hungarian community.

In his speech, Mr. Szijjártó highlighted the fact that the two countries are close friends and strategic allies, and Hungary is proud of the Jews living in the country and of the traditions of Central Europe’s largest Jewish community. “The ties that appear in Hungarian culture will be a symbol of this relationship in Israel”, he added.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed that not only do the two countries maintain a partnership, but so too do Budapest and Tel-Aviv, and there are rich personal relations between members of the two peoples. In addition to Tel-Aviv, the series of cultural events will also be hosted by Jerusalem, Haifa, Safed and Herzliya. Hungary is proud of its rich culture, and its foremost representatives will be appearing in Israel: in addition to the National Theatre, the National Opera, the Operetta Theatre and the Győr Ballet, talented young artists will also be on display from photography to dance and film, while also not forgetting one of Hungary’s important trademarks, Hungarian gastronomy.

Mr. Szijjártó highlighted the fact that members of the Jewish community live in safety in Budapest, despite the fact that they have no need of armed protection and the second largest synagogue in Europe can also be found in the city. The Minister said that in his opinion culture is the best instrument for forging relations between people, but also emphasised the importance of sport, referring to the European Maccabi Games, which will be hosted by Budapest this summer.

“Significant progress has also been made within the field of economic relations”, he said, pointing out that he had arrived at the event from Jerusalem, where in the afternoon he had opened a Hungarian trade representation together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the official opening, pianist György Ádám created a special mood with classical pieces by Franz Liszt.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)