According to his official biography, Justin McKenzie Smith joined the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1994. Between 1996 and 1999, he served at the British Embassy in Moscow. From 2008 to 2011, he held the position of Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the Foreign Office.

His diplomatic career has also included postings in Mexico, and between 2016 and 2020, he served as the UK Ambassador to Georgia. He later worked briefly with the Scottish Government before leading the UK Foreign Office’s Central Asia and Eastern Partnership Department from 2021 to 2024.

The new British Ambassador has been preparing for his posting to Hungary for some time and, according to his biography, has been studying Hungarian since last year.

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British Embassy Budapest