"Greg Dorey, the British Ambassador to Hungary recently appeared as a guest in Origo’s online chatroom. He has been Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Hungary since December 2007.He lives in Budapest with his wife, while his children study in the United Kingdom. He had already worked in Budapest between 1989 and 1992 as a diplomat, so he has definite views on Hungary, the hospitality of the Hungarian people and also on British-Hungarian issues.
During the chat session Dorey talked about the cultural values of Great Britain and Hungary. He pointed out that one of the less widely known values of Great Britain is its cultural tolerance and respect towards other people’s traditions. He also encouraged young people to try working in a foreign country, which is a good way to understand other cultures and to gain valuable experience.
Dorey added that according to statistical data, 400 000 British tourists visit Hungary on a yearly basis and most of them form a positive view of the country during their stay. Dorey himself also likes living in Hungary, he has many Hungarian friends and he even has a Hungarian goddaughter. Beside the good characteristics of Hungary, the Ambassador emphasised that one of the major problems in the country is the people’s gloomy view of their future.
In the second half of the chat session, many of the online interviewers started asking questions about soccer. Dorey expressed his sadness at England’s failure to make it to the European Championship, but he promised that England will soon come back with a very strong team.
One of the chatters asked him if he thinks Arselnal is likely to win the Premier League. “Me and my youngest son support Yeovil Town, but I’m afraid, they will never going to be champions. Still, I’m happy that there are Arsenal fans in Hungary, too.” – answered the Ambassador.
If you are interested in the activity of the British Embassy in Budapest you can visit its homepage or the Embassy’s blog."
Source: Origo
Translated by Tranzpress
14.03.2008