Minister of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi received a Congressional Delegation from the United States led by Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana February 24, 2012. U.S. Congressmen regularly visit their European allies: the current delegation visited Paris, Brussels, and Bratislava before coming to Budapest.
On 21 February 2012 János Martonyi paid an official visit to the Czech Republic. The Hungarian Foreign Minister participated in discussions with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and was received by President Václav Klaus and Miroslava Nemcová, Chairperson of the Lower House of the Parliament.
On 20 February Foreign Minister János Martonyi consulted with the delegation of the Venice Commission. In their conversation the parties discussed the legislative intent and background behind the cardinal laws regulating churches and courts, and exchanged views on the legal and professional concerns as well as on the critical comments concerning these laws.
At the meeting of its Assembly on 31 January 2012, the African Union elected Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin as its new Chairperson.
On 7 February 2012 János Martonyi negotiated with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Berlin about current issues of the European Union, the Middle East, and Hungarian-German bilateral relations. On the invitation of his German counterpart, the Hungarian Foreign minister arrived in Germany for a two-day visit to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Hungary on Friendly Cooperation and Partnership in Europe.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the position of the MPs of the Jobbik political party on the Holocaust, on the internal political situation in Israel, and on the political relations of the Middle East.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi has left on a two-day official visit to Germany on Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hungarian-German friendship treaty.
On Wednesday, H.E. Aly El-Hefny, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, hosted a festive commemoration on the occasion of the first anniversary of the outbreak on 25 January 2011 of the Egyptian revolution, with the participation of the diplomatic corps as well as personalities of Hungarian political and public life and the Egyptian community in Hungary.
Foreign Minister János Martonyi participated in and held a lecture on the symposium on “Otto von Habsburg as a Christian politician”, which was organised in the Austrian Historical Institute in Rome on 24 January 2012. Among others, Rocco Buttiglione, Vice President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Wolfgang Schüssel, former Chancellor of Austria gave speeches, and several members of the Habsburg family were present as well.
Foreign Minister János Martonyi has sent a response letter to Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe on January 20, confirming that Hungary is willing to cooperate with the Council of Europe. Reacting to the Secretary General’s inquiry, the Head of the Foreign Ministry attached to his letter the texts of the laws on judiciary, religious freedom, and elections to the Parliament.