In the presence of Ambassadors accredited from the region to Hungary, János Hóvári opened the exhibition „FOURTEEN CENTURIES OF COINS FROM THE ISLAMIC WORLD” in the Helikon Castle Museum in Keszthely.

In his speech, the Deputy State Secretary responsible for global affairs pointed out that Islam constitutes both historically and culturally an inseparable part of Europe. In Central-Eastern Europe, there is no other people or language which is tied by more bonds to the Orient than we, Hungarians. The experiences accumulated by the post-Cold War Central-Eastern Europe, but especially by Hungary, could serve as an example in the broader Middle East of how a nation in transition can overcome a series of complex internal and international challenges.

János Hóvári drawn the attention to the fact that as the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2011, Hungary had assumed even greater responsibility for stability and development not only in the immediate neighbourhood of the EU but in the broader Middle East and Asia as well. Our diplomacy has adopted a global approach and is taking an active share in finding lasting solutions to the challenges of the modern world.

Finally, the Deputy State Secretary asked the Ambassadors from the region to make sure that their countries support with their votes our aspiration to serve the international community as the non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations from January 2012. This would provide further opportunities to widen our already multi-faceted cooperation with the countries of the Islamic world.

(kormany.hu)