Hungary celebrates its National Day on October 23rd, which commemorates the 66th Anniversary of the 1956 Revolution and Freedom Fight. On this occasion, the Ambassador of Hungary in Greece and Cyprus H.E. Mr. Erik Haupt along with Dr. Krisztina Lakos, Chargé d’ Affaires of the Office of the Embassy of Hungary in Athens, Nicosia and the Honorary Consul General in Cyprus Mr. Costakis Loizou held on Monday, October 24th, a reception at the Hilton Nicosia. 

Several members of the government of the Republic of Cyprus headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides and the Minister of Defence, Mr. Charalambos Petrides, a Representative of the Church of Cyprus, ambassadors, diplomats and other distinguished guests from the financial and social life in Cyprus attended the reception. Major General Ingrid Gjerde of Norway, Force Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and Hungarians who are posted to the UNFICYP, along with Hungarians residing in Cyprus were also present at the event.

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The Ambassador of Hungary in Greece and Cyprus H.E. Mr. Erik Haupt, in his welcome address, referred to the excellent relations between Hungary and Cyprus, as well as the enhancement of the bilateral ties in the fields of tourism, economy, trade, investments, culture, higher education and research. Among others, he said: “For more than 8 centuries Cyprus and Hungary maintain strong bonds of mutual friendship and interaction, contributing to the growth and solidarity between the two countries. Thousands of Hungarians visited beautiful Cyprus in the past season paying tribute to its nature, culture and history. Several hundreds of Hungarian citizens have even chosen Cyprus as a second home, through marriage or profession. We are also very proud of the high number of Cypriots who choose to pursue their higher education in Hungary.

The Cypriot students that are now studying at Hungarian universities and the hundreds of those who have studied in the past decades are the strongest link and the best representation of friendship between our two nations.

We support the cultural activities of the Cypro-Hungarian Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations and we are very pleased for the work performed by them in the field of education. We also welcome the fact that high-level visits between our two countries have become more frequent.”, he added. 

“Earlier today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary H.E. Mr. Péter Szijjártó met in Nicosia with Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Natasa Pilides, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry and Mr. Prodromos Prodromou, Minister of Education, Sport and Youth. We are happy to announce that Mr. Szijjártó and Mr. Prodromou signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for further cooperation between the two countries in the fields of higher education and research. In addition, only last week, another MoU was signed in Budapest by Hungary’s State Secretary for Bilateral Relations Mr. Tamas Menczer and Cyprus’ Deputy Minister for Tourism, Mr. Savvas Perdios. The MoU provides for cooperation in the field of tourism, exchange of knowhow and statistics, promoting the tourist flows between the two countries, placing special emphasis on health and wellness tourism. Furthermore, the two countries undertake to work together to boost air connectivity between them. Over the past years, another four MoUs have been signed between our countries: on cooperation in the fields of diplomatic consultations, energy, agriculture and water management.” 

The Ambassador highlighted that “…both Cyprus and Hungary are committed to ensuring the continuous deep involvement of the EU with Eastern and Southern partners, especially in the light of the security challenges. Hungary has always firmly supported the efforts aimed at resolving the Cyprus issue through peaceful dialogue”, he concluded.

H.E. Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, initially stated that the two countries share many years of common history struggling for freedom. Among others, he stressed that commemorations such as the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, especially during this time of war and division in Europe, provide the opportunity to remember and honour the pioneers of freedom and democracy in Hungary and the victims.

After paying tribute to the Hungarian officials serving at the UNFICYP since 1995, he thanked the government and the people of Hungary for their consistent principal position and support in the efforts to reach a just and lasting solution on the Cyprus issue, based on the international law and the Security Council resolutions. Lastly, he referred to the visit of his counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary H.E. Mr. Péter Szijjártó earlier that day, stating that this visit was itself a proof of the constant development of the strong bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, which are growing over the years, especially in the fields of tourism, trade, higher education, energy and culture.