Opening Ceremony of the new British Embassy in Budapest
Minister for Europe Sir Alan Duncan and Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó has officially opened the new Embassy building in Budapest.
Sir Alan Duncan and Péter Szijjártó unveiling the plaque in Budapest
The Minister for Europe has officially opened the new British Embassy in Budapest on 13 October. Sir Alan Duncan was joined by Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Péter Szijjártó to unveil the plaque in the new building in Füge utca.
In April 2017 the British Embassy in Budapest relocated after purchasing a new building in the second district, having been based in Harmincad utca for over 70 years. The building, previously the Dutch Embassy, has been completely renovated to provide the British Embassy, and its staff a modern and fit for purpose working environment.
In his opening speech Sir Alan Duncan said:
It is a privilege to be able to celebrate with you a perfect metaphor for our renewed commitment to Hungary. While the UK’s relationship with Europe is changing, we are not turning our back on the European Union, and we are certainly not turning our back on Hungary. The British Embassy has moved from a building we leased to one we have renovated and own. This is a visible demonstration that we are strengthening our roots here. Not only that, we are also increasing our Embassy staff by around 20% - a significant uplift in resource and capability, which will better enable us to continue driving the relationship forward and seize new opportunities together.
Following the opening ceremony Minister Duncan gave a speech at Corvinus University of Budapest on strengthening bilateral relationship between the UK and Hungary.