Hungary’s President Katalin Novák and Australia’s Governor-General David Hurley discussed the development of bilateral economic relations and measures against illegal migration in Sydney on Friday, 3 November.

At the beginning of the meeting, Novák thanked the Governor-General for Australia’s providing of a second home for Hungarians in Australia, where they could maintain their national identity and traditions. She emphasized that the Hungarian diaspora serves as a good example that it is possible to contribute to the development of the host country while preserving one’s roots and heritage. The Hungarians who settled in Australia became loyal Australians while holding onto their Hungarian identity, the President underscored.

The 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Australia was celebrated earlier this year,

which was one of the reasons for President Novák’s visit to Australia, Vajk Farkas, Director of Communications at the Sándor Palace informed the press. Farkas emphasized that besides meeting the large Hungarian community during her visit to Australia, the President is also working on strengthening relations between the two countries.

During the discussion, the two leaders reviewed key matters such as the development of economic and higher education connections between the two nations, as well as family policies, and measures against illegal migration, regarding which the two countries share very similar stances. Beyond Hungarian–Australian relations, the situations in Ukraine and Israel were also on the agenda of the meeting.

On Friday, the president also held discussions with Margaret Beazley, the Governor of New South Wales. Earlier, she also met with economic players such as Gina Rinehart, Australia’s most successful businesswoman, and Nick Greiner, a businessman–politician of Hungarian descent and former Premier of New South Wales.

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