Promoting Hungarian culture abroad is the country's best method of presenting itself in the international arena, Goncz told the leaders of Hungarian cultural institutes based abroad.
She mentioned the examples of Sandor Marai, Gyorgy Konrad and Magda Szabo in literature, Kornel Mundruczo in cinema, and Andras Schiff and the Budapest Festival Orchestra in music as Hungarian successes abroad.
Goncz noted that Hungary's cultural season in China was a huge success and upcoming events include the Hungarian season in New York next year, the anniversary of the establishment of Japanese-Hungarian diplomatic links and the European Capital of Culture project in Pécs in 2010.
Senior culture ministry official Marta Schneider noted that many critics believe that Hungary does not have a cohesive image abroad. She said that while the country had lost its exotic character of 30-40 years ago, it is not yet considered a "trendy" country, either.
But recent successes in cultural diplomacy include the Hungarian institute of Paris, which boosted the number of visitors by creating a new home page, and Berlin's Collegium Hungaricum, which has successfully made use of opportunities resulting from operating in a new high-profile building, she noted.
