Economy
U.S. Ambassador to Hungary to leave post next year - paper
Bell will leave her post in early 2017, in the spring at the latest. Until the appointment of a new ambassador Deputy Chief of Mission David Kostelancik will take her place. Kostelancik had previously served as
He has also held additional assignments in Washington, including as Deputy Director of the Office of Central Europe in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
Magyar Nemzet said it is not by chance that the career U.S. foreign service officer with the rank of Minister Counselor has recently arrived in Budapest, considering that the U.S. is mostly concerned by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Russia-friendly remarks and acts (besides the state of the press freedom, the church law, corruption and anti-Semitism in the country).
The paper has learned that Orbán is not content with the conduct of Réka Szemerkényi, the Hungarian Ambassador to the United States, and that is why he has recently appointed a new Deputy Chief of Mission to its embassy in Washington. Zsolt Hetesy served as a high-ranking official in Hungary’s secret state security apparatus in the 2000s. Between 2002 and 2007, he served as the executive director of Hungary’s National Security Service (NBSZ).
Magyar Hírlap said no improvement in the Hungarian-U.S. relations should be expected in the near future, even if Donald Trump won the presidential election. It argues that even there is no influential politician even among the Republicans that sympathises with the Orbán cabinet and could successfully lobby for better relations with Budapest. The highest ranking officer Hungary should expect to negotiate with is a deputy state secretary even if the Republicans win, the daily added.
- Senior State Department Advisor to the Congressional Helsinki Commission (August 2014 to August 2015),
- Director of the Office of Russian Affairs in the Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (July 2012 to August 2014),
- Director of the Office of Europe and Asia in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs,
- Deputy and Acting Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow (from 2008 to 2010).
- According to his biography, Kostelancik’s other overseas postings include the U.S. Mission to the OSCE as Deputy Political Counselor (Vienna, Austria), the U.S. Mission to NATO (Brussels, Belgium), the U.S. Embassy Tirana, Albania, and the U.S. Embassy Ankara, Turkey.
He has also held additional assignments in Washington, including as Deputy Director of the Office of Central Europe in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
Magyar Nemzet said it is not by chance that the career U.S. foreign service officer with the rank of Minister Counselor has recently arrived in Budapest, considering that the U.S. is mostly concerned by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Russia-friendly remarks and acts (besides the state of the press freedom, the church law, corruption and anti-Semitism in the country).
The paper has learned that Orbán is not content with the conduct of Réka Szemerkényi, the Hungarian Ambassador to the United States, and that is why he has recently appointed a new Deputy Chief of Mission to its embassy in Washington. Zsolt Hetesy served as a high-ranking official in Hungary’s secret state security apparatus in the 2000s. Between 2002 and 2007, he served as the executive director of Hungary’s National Security Service (NBSZ).
Magyar Hírlap said no improvement in the Hungarian-U.S. relations should be expected in the near future, even if Donald Trump won the presidential election. It argues that even there is no influential politician even among the Republicans that sympathises with the Orbán cabinet and could successfully lobby for better relations with Budapest. The highest ranking officer Hungary should expect to negotiate with is a deputy state secretary even if the Republicans win, the daily added.
