Messages from Ambassadors - H.E. Bela Fazekas, Ambassador of Hungary to Pakistan.

Although our two countries have established diplomatic relations in 1965, the first resident Hungarian Ambassador has presented his creden tials in 1970. However, our Hungarian ancestors reached the territory of present-day Pakistan centuries ago. Talking about significant anniversaries like the 75th Anniversary of the Founda tion of Pakistan, I have to mention the name of a Hungarian orientalist Alexan der Csoma de KAros, who reached Pesha war exactly 200 years ago in 1822 in search for the relatives of the Hungari ans, which is the sole European nation that is originated from Asia. Therefore, the people-to-people relations between the two countries have centuries long history. The cultural life of the 19th century Lahore can not be described without mentioning the Hungarian artists, academics and orientalists whose intellectual contribution to the capital of Punjab turned the city into a culturally vibrant metropole. These strong intellec tual footprints are still there represented - inter alia - by the eleven paintings of the Hungarian painter August Schoefft, which are kept in the Sikh Gallery of Lahore Fort and portray the members of the ruling Sikh family from the 19th century.

Hungarians made a remarkable impact on the modern education system in this part of the subcontinent. Gottlieb William Leitner, who was born in Buda pest in 1840 became the Principal of the Government College University in Lahore in 1864 and later he was the founder principal of the University of the Punjab. Building on these solid fundamentals Hungary has a significant presence in the present Pakistan as well. The economic ties are defined by the Pakistani subsidiary of the Hungarian MOL energy giant, MOL Pakistan has been operating in the country for more than 20 years. The company has invested approx. 2 billion USD in Pakistan's energy industry so far...