Dear visitors,
Dear friends in Switzerland,
I am pleased to welcome you to the website of the Embassy of Hungary in Bern.
Hungary and Switzerland: two countries located in the heart of Europe, which are on friendly terms with each other and have been linked by many historical, cultural, scientific and economic threads for centuries. While our diplomatic relations go back to the time of King Matthias (15th century), in the 20th and 21st century a special connecting link between the two countries was the Swiss Hungarian diaspora linked to the 1956 Revolution. The tens of thousands of Hungarian refugees then became esteemed citizens of their new homeland, becoming engineers, doctors, researchers, good professionals, and they did not forget their Hungarian roots, either.
After the system change in Hungary more than three decades ago, with the reunification of the western and eastern parts of Europe - which Hungary played a historical role in- we also became part of the free world. All this has raised our political and economic bilateral relations with Switzerland - one of the oldest homes of European democracy – on a new, dynamic, diverse and friendly path.
We have great respect for the Swiss democracy, the democratic traditions of the country, which date back to 1848, the period of our most beloved revolution and fight of independence. Our current, twenty-first century relations are primarily shaped by economic, scientific and cultural cooperation. It is especially important for us that Switzerland, like our country, is a leading, friendly country in the field of climate policy and digitalisation. We are proud that many of our excellent compatriots contribute to the world-class results of Swiss research institutes, enhance our reputation as athletes in Swiss associations, or represent Hungary as sports diplomats at the international institutions based in Switzerland.
As a member of NATO and the EU, Hungary is on the right track again after many decades. In line with Hungary's thousand-year old European history and Christian roots, our embassy will do its utmost to support our country's reputation, economic, scientific and cultural success and to demonstrate that we are equal members of the community of the free, democratic European states. Therefore, it is our important goal that the results of the Hungarian economic, foreign, security, European and social policy are widely known in Switzerland, the public dialogue on Hungary gets the proper weight and the news about Hungary appear as diverse as possible, but without partiality. We consider it our other priority to maintain the trust of Swiss economic and financial investors in Hungary, to develop our good relations with the around three hundred Swiss companies investing in Hungary, and to enhance the reputation as a destination country for Swiss investors.
It is an honorable duty of our embassy staff to help the members of the Swiss Hungarian diaspora as far as possible - be it consular services or the establishment and maintenance of cultural, scientific and economic co-operations. Nevertheless, it is an honor for us to be able to rely on the experiences of our Hungarian compatriots, Hungarian communities, who have lived and are appreciated in Switzerland for decades, and to count on their help in carrying out our diplomatic duties.
I hope that the Hungarian and Swiss citizens will find useful information about our mission and the Hungarian-Swiss relations on our website, too. Of course, in addition to these, we are also available for any further questions on any of our contacts on the website. I would also like to bring our Facebook and Twitter pages to your attention, where you can also find useful news regarding our bilateral relations.
Best Regards,
Dr. József Czukor
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein
