Assessing achievements of the past 18 months in cultural diplomacy, Istvan Hiller noted a bigger than expected success of the eight-month long Hungarian season that ended this spring in China and the cultural season in India that contributed to strengthening bilateral cultural relations.
Hiller mentioned that some 1 million visitors attended the Ungarischer Akzent (Hungarian Accent) cultural season that ended last autumn in Germany.
Referring to future plans, the minister said that Hungarian cultural seasons will be organised in the Unites States, starting in New York in January 2009, and in Japan.
There are 19 Hungarian cultural cetres abroad, 16 of them in Europe, which received a total of 2 billion forints (EUR 8.5m) in state financing last year, Hiller said.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
