E-Newsletter 2019

Embassy of Malaysia in Budapest No. 8, Házmán utca 1026 Budapest, HUNGARY

Dear readers,

Welcome to the Embassy’s newsletter for the year 2019. Public Holidays

In this issue, we look back at selected events or highlights that December 25 took place in the year 2019 and also share with you several important updates. Christmas Day

December 26

Annual New Year's Greetings of the Diplomatic Corps, hosted Second Day of Christmas by H.E. President János Áder at the Művészetek Palotája (Palace of Arts) in Budapest Mission Info Telephone: (361) 488-0810

Fax: (361) 488-0824

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

GMT: March-Oct +6hrs (KL), - 6hrs (BUD) +7hrs (KL), -7hrs (BUD)

H.E. Ambassador Dato' Cheong Loon Lai attended the annual New Working Days: Monday - Friday Year's Greetings of the Diplomatic Corps, hosted by H.E. President János Áder on 7 January 2019 at the Művészetek Palotája (Palace Working Hours: 8.30 a.m - 4.00 of Arts) in Budapest. p.m.

A concert - dance performance by the Szeged Contemporary Dance Company - and a reception followed, for the Heads of Diplomatic Missions accredited to Hungary.

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Bilateral Meeting between Foreign Minister, Malaysia and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary

Fruitful bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, H.E. Peter Szijjarto at the European Union Council in Brussels earlier today. The meeting highlighted issues of mutual concern including underscoring Hungary’s supportive position on palm oil. Did you know?

 “Many of the oil palm plantations are quite well integrated with neighbouring forests and shrubs and have a Conference on “Southeast Asia in Focus: New Markets, Goals, lot more biodiversity than the fields used for growing Opportunities and Results” hosted by the Chamber of competitors’ crops.” Commerce and Industry of Hajdú-Bihar County in Debrecen  An article on countering the anti-palm oil sentiments, written by political strategist and former On 13 March 2019, the CEO of the Malaysian Timber Embassy of Malaysia in Council, KK Tan is available at Budapest and MATRADE https://www.nst.com.my under the title “Countering the West's Budapest Office hypocrisy over Palm oil”. participated in a conference titled  To date, approximately 54.8% “Southeast Asia in Focus: of Malaysia's land mass enjoys New Markets, Goals, forest cover. Opportunities and Results” hosted by the Chamber of  The Malaysian palm oil industry Commerce and Industry of is supervised and regulated by Hajdú-Bihar County in over 60 laws and regulations, including the Land Acquisition Debrecen. Act 1960, the National Land Code 1965, and the Land At the conference, the Conservation Act 1960. Embassy was pleased to know that Debrecen-based  All palm oil areas in Malaysia jeweller, Gabriella Faludi has had the opportunity to showcase her were undertaken on designated products in Malaysia in 2017-2018 and gained positive feedback land reserved as land banks for from potential Malaysian partners.” agriculture or alienated land, and not in permanent forest reserves.

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Trade Mission to Budapest by the Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Malaysia (ACCCIM)

Did you know?

 The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) is the national level organisation of the Chinese chambers of commerce in Malaysia.

 Founded on 2nd July 1921, A delegation from the Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce ACCCIM has 17 Constituent and Industries of Malaysia (ACCCIM), was on a trade mission to Members located separately in Budapest from 4 – 8 April 2019. the 13 states and Federal Territories of Malaysia. The delegation was led by ACCCIM’s Deputy President, Dato’ Liew Sew Yee and comprised of 7 Malaysian companies from the ICT  Direct and indirect membership startup (specialising in fintech and business management), printing, of all Constituent Members are and food & beverage sector. well over 100,000, representing Malaysian Chinese companies,

individuals and trade During the trade mission, the delegation met with the Hungarian associations in particular and Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MKIK); officials from the the Chinese business Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary; the Hungarian community in general. Export Promotion Agency (HEPA); as well as INPUT, a government and EU-funded programme promoting the growth of Hungary’s ICT  Membership of ACCCIM startup ecosystem. A business-matching session was also held at the include Eminent Members, Embassy on 4 April. Associate Members, and more than 5,000 young entrepreneurs. Based on the positive feedback from the delegation, the Embassy is pleased to learn that two of the ICT startup companies specialising in fintech and business management have identified their potential partners for business cooperation. At the same time, there is also keen interest to establish a joint venture in the ICT startup sector.

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Hari Raya (Eid ul Fitr) Gathering

Did you know?

 You can now find lángos in Malaysia. The Embassy held a Hari Raya (Eid ul Fitr) gathering on 8 June 2019 for the Malaysians and family members in Hungary.  Lángos is a Hungarian deep- fried dough, made into a round Guests were treated to traditional Hari Raya delicacies such as and flat shape. Traditionally, it Ayam Masak Merah, Nasi Minyak, Sayur Lodeh, Nasi Himpit and is eaten fresh and warm, Kuah Kacang, prepared by the Embassy’s home-based staff and topped with sour cream and spouses. grated cheese, garlic and olive oil.  In addition to the traditional Music Showcase by Orang Orang Drum Theatre version, this lángos stall in Batu Gajah, Malaysia offers "Malaysianised" versions such as sambal ikan bilis and kaya! Throughout the month of August 2019, Malaysia’s performing arts group, Orang Orang Drum Theatre showcased their dynamic performances at various music festivals in Hungary, as well as in neighbouring Serbia.

The group successfully performed at the SZIGET Festival (Sziget Festival Official), one of the biggest music and cultural festival in Europe, attracting almost 1 million visitors within the festival’s span of 7 days! Orang Orang Drum Theatre is one the first Malaysian act to perform at Sziget Festival.

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62nd Anniversary of Malaysia’s Independence Day

The celebration to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of Malaysia’s Independence was successfully held with the Malaysian Community in Hungary, in the morning of 31 August 2019 at the Did you know? Chancery's compound.  Geographically, Malaysia is The event commenced with the singing of “Negaraku”, and the almost as diverse as its culture. raising of Malaysia’s flag, affectionately known as the Jalur 11 states and 2 federal Gemilang (Stripes of Glory). territories ( and ) form Peninsular The event was concluded with remarks by H.E. Ambassador Dato’ Malaysia which is separated by the South China Sea from East Cheong Loon Lai that emphasised the theme of this year’s Malaysia which includes the 2 celebration, “Sayangi Malaysiaku: Malaysia Bersih”. states ( and on the island of Borneo) and a third federal territory, the island of Diplomatic Reception to Celebrate the 62nd National Day of . Malaysia  One of Malaysia's key attractions is its extreme The Embassy held its Diplomatic contrasts which further add to Reception to celebrate the 62nd this theme of ‘diversity’. National Day of Malaysia on 13 Towering skyscrapers look September 2019 at Marriott down upon wooden houses built on stilts while five-star Budapest. The reception was also hotels sit just meters away from held to celebrate the 50th ancient reefs. Anniversary of Hungary-Malaysia bilateral relations.  Rugged mountains reach dramatically for the sky while The guest of honour to the the rainforest-clad slopes reception was H.E. Dr. András sweep down to floodplains Baranyi, Deputy State Secretary for teeming with forest life. Cool the Development of Eastern highland hideaways roll down to warm, sandy beaches and Relations of the MFAT Hungary. rich, humid mangroves.

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Official Visit to Budapest by State Exco for Tourism Did you know? Department, Arts, Culture & Heritage  The Embassy of Malaysia in Budapest was established on 20 June 1993.

 The Embassy is also concurrently accredited to the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Slovenia.

 The Mission acts as the official representative of the Government of Malaysia in promoting closer bilateral relations with the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Slovenia.

Penang State Exco for Tourism Development, Arts, Culture & Heritage, YB Yeoh Soon Hin led an official delegation to Budapest from 22 – 28 September 2019.

The delegation included the Honorary Consul of Hungary in Penang, Datuk Seri Damien Chua; and the CEO of Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Mr. Ashwin Gunasekeran.

The main purpose of the visit was to foster closer relations and cooperation between the State of Penang and the City of Budapest. This augurs well with the 50th Anniversary of the bilateral relations between Hungary and Malaysia this year.

During the visit, the delegation met with the Deputy Mayor of Budapest, H.E. Dr. Gábor Bagdy to discuss on feasible platforms of cooperation between Budapest and Penang.

The delegation visited and held meetings at the Hungarian Parliament, the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the Hungarian National Museum (Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum), and HUNGEXPO (Hungexpo - Programod van).

The delegation also paid a courtesy call on H.E. Ambassador Dato’ Cheong Loon Lai and gave a presentation on the objectives of their visit.

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Flag-Raising Ceremony at Budapest's Kossuth Lajos Square - 1956 Hungarian Revolution against the Soviet Union.

The Ambassador of Malaysia to Hungary, H.E. Dato’ Cheong Loon Lai, with other Heads of Missions of the diplomatic corps, attended the flag- raising ceremony this morning in Kossuth Lajos Square to commemorate the 1956 Hungarian Revolution against the Soviet Union. Did you know? 23 October also marks the creation of  The Stipendium Hungaricum the Republic of Hungary in 1989. Scholarship Programme was launched in 2013 by the Hungarian Government.

 The core mission of the Engagement with Malaysian Living in Hungary and Students, programme is to increase the number of foreign students in Recipients of the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Hungary and to encourage Hungarian higher education On 26 October 2019, the Embassy had a get-together with institutions to attract top foreign Malaysian living in Hungary and Malaysian students who are students. recipients of the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship.  The programme was offered to Malaysians following last year’s Venue of the gathering was at Margitsziget - a public recreational Memorandum of island park in the middle of the Danube river, near downtown Understanding (MoU) inked Budapest. between the two governments, which is one of the positive Since it coincided with Malaysia’s Sports Challenge Month, the get- results of 50 years of bilateral together got off with brisk-walking around the island. relations between Hungary and Malaysia. After an hour of exercise, everyone was treated to  Under the MoU, the Hungarian government would offer 40 a Malaysian picnic of scholarships annually for three Nasi Lemak and Teh Tarik. years starting from the 2018 academic year in various The event gave programmes including everyone the valuable agriculture, architecture and opportunity to interact, culture heritage, health exchange information science, natural science and and share experiences. environmental science.

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Exhibition to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Malaysia and Hungary

The exhibition to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Hungary was officially opened on 11 November 2019 at the National Széchenyi Library in Budapest.

Opening remarks were delivered by the Ambassador of Malaysia to Hungary, H.E. Dato’ Cheong Loon Did you know? Lai; the Deputy State Secretary for Development of Eastern Relations  Dubbed “The pearl of the Danube”, Budapest is voted the of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs best European destination for and Trade (MFAT) of Hungary, H.E. Dr Andras Baranyi; and the 2019, thanks to its architectural Director-General of the National and historical heritage, Széchenyi Library, Ms. Judit abundance of thermal waters Hammerstein. and reputation as one of the safest cities in the region. The opening ceremony which received coverage on national television saw the attendance of officials from the MFAT of Hungary, members of the diplomatic corps, and members of the Hungarian media.

The exhibition is opened to the public for 5 weeks until 14 December 2019 (Saturday).

Official Viist to Budapest by Malaysia’s MITI Minister Did you know? Malaysia's MITI Minister,  Black Widow, the twenty-fourth Datuk Darell Leiking made an film in the Marvel Cinematic official visit to Budapest from Universe (MCU) starred 14-16 November 2019. Scarlett Johansson, was shot in Budapest, Hungary due to its The visit's highlight was the beautiful locations. signing of a Bilateral MoU on Economic Cooperation with Hungary.

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Diplomatic Fair 2019

The Embassy of Malaysia’s participation at the Diplomatic Fair 2019 on 24 November (Sunday) received overwhelming response from Follow us! the public and the local media.

Malaysia’s tropical fruits - courtesy of the Malaysian Agriculture Office based in The Hague - once again proved to be a crowd-puller and were sold before the end of the Fair.

Digital Diplomacy Acknowledging the ubiquity of social media and its power in reaching out to various stakeholders on a real-time basis, the on Twitter Embassy answered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia’s call @MYEmbBudapest to increase presence and engagement through social media.

With this in mind, the Embassy has created its Facebook page and Twitter account. on Facebook Response and interaction has been great so far. The Embassy wishes to thank some members of the Malaysian community here in facebook.com/mwbudapest Budapest for their feedback in improving our presence in the two social media platforms.

For those who have yet to follow our social media accounts, what are you waiting for?

THANK YOU FOR READING. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE E- NEWSLETTER! Page 9 of 9