Interview – U.S. Ambassador: I was given a very warm welcome in Hungary

Budapest, March 1 (MTI) – Cooperation between the Hungarian and the U.S. governments is excellent in many areas, while there are challenges that they need to resolve together, the new U.S. Ambassador to Hungary indicated in her interview with MTI, emphasizing that she personally would like to contribute to deepening U.S.-Hungarian relations in every area.

Colleen Bell, who presented her credentials to President of the Republic János Áder on January 21, said she was given a very warm welcome in Hungary, “the messages of friendship were very moving”. She said that in the past year overseas [back in the U.S.] she spent a lot of time learning about Hungary and the broad scope of bilateral relations; now, however, she has the chance to personally meet Hungarians and hear their opinions first-hand.

In response to the question on what meetings she has done in the first weeks of her stay in Hungary, she said it was a great honour for her that, in the first days after her arrival, she had the opportunity to meet President of the Republic János Áder in person. She also met several Ministers, the heads of the Curia and the Constitutional Court, and politicians.

In addition, she had talks with civil society representatives, religious leaders, academics, educators and people in the arts community. She also had a chance to meet business people, and she had a discussion with Hungary’s new Ambassador to the United States Réka Szemerkényi before she departed for Washington.

“What I have appreciated the most is that, consistently in all my meetings, I am hearing that people appreciate the strong tradition of cooperation between the United States and Hungary. They want our two countries to have good, positive, productive relations.” As she said, although people may have different definitions of what that means, “so far, I have heard consistent affirmation of the importance of our bilateral cooperation.”

Colleen Bell told MTI that it was an extreme honour for her when President Barack Obama asked her to be the new Ambassador of the United States to Hungary. Not just because she would be an Ambassador, but also that she would be serving in Hungary, a country that “my family already knew and grew to love.” She said they had been to Hungary several times before, and they “were amazed by the richness of the Hungarian culture, the beauty of the country, and the pride of the Hungarian people.” She said they were excited to come back and learn more about the country.

The new Ambassador already had the opportunity to go to Szekesfehervar, Mohács, Debrecen and Pápa Air Base. She is grateful to President János Áder and his wife and to foreign affairs committee head Zsolt Németh for inviting her and her husband to the Csángó Ball, which she called “a unique experience.” She also attended the U.S.-Hungary water polo match, went with her son to the Busó Festival in Mohács, and attended the piano concert of György Ádam at the Liszt Ferenc Academy. She said she was very curious to learn about Hungary, and the Embassy even announced a contest on its Facebook site to help her find great places to visit.

Colleen Bell said she would like to meet as many people as possible and hear many opinions so that she could learn better about Hungary and its history. She said she would like to go to places in Hungary where no U.S. Ambassador had gone before. While she called it important for her to meet with the members of the cabinet, politicians, civil society leaders and businessmen, she emphasized that she wants to talk to Hungarians from all walks of life, and for that, they also want to use social media platforms. While she is trying to go to as many events as possible, as U.S. Ambassador, she strives to promote U.S. culture, she added.

On account of the recent sudden departure from Budapest of her former deputy Andre Goodfriend, Colleen Bell said that she and the Deputy Chief of Mission had formed an excellent working relationship, and she greatly appreciates both his assistance in helping her prepare for her arrival in Hungary and for his service here in Budapest over the last year and a half. “Andre did an excellent job of promoting and explaining U.S. policy during his time here. Secretary Kerry fully supported his efforts,” she said adding that, “unfortunately, [Andre] had to leave his post for family reasons.”