Brazil and Hungary have traditionally enjoyed economic and cultural relations over the centuries that have had a significant impact on the economy, culture, and people’s lives.
In our interview, we asked the Brazilian ambassador to share her perspectives about the common and future goals of the relationship between Brazil and Hungary, and the role Brazil plays in the various cooperation between the two states.
Her Excellency, Dr. Susan Kleebank, Brazil’s Ambassador to Hungary, kindly agreed to talk about the close diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries. We would like to thank Dr. Susan Kleebank for taking the time to answer our questions.
- Could you briefly summarize Brazil’s role in the region and its relationship with Hungary?
Over the years Brazil and Hungary have developed a strong mutually beneficial partnership in many fields. We shall celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations in 2027. We have been able to create a broad network of agreements that provide a solid institutional basis for our bilateral relations. The official visit of the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to Budapest (February 2022), preceded by the visit of PM Viktor Orbán to Brazil (2019) and succeeded by the visit of President Katalin Novák to Brazil (July 2022), reaffirmed the importance of both countries attach to this partnership. Our two countries share some fundamental values such as democracy, the respect for the principle of non-intervention and the defense of peace, and the peaceful resolution of international conflicts.
Another important foundation of our bilateral relations is the historical, human, and cultural ties between Brazil and Hungary. Even if in very small numbers, when compared to other nationalities, Hungarian immigrants who went to Brazil, especially as World War 2 refugees or after the 1956 October Revolution, made profound contributions to many areas – Eugen Szenkar, Perez Dworecki and Oskar Arany (music), Thomaz Farkas (photography), Paulo Rónai and Paulo Schiller (literature), Eva Fodor (theater), Marika Gidali (dance), Akos Hamza (cinema and visual arts), Géza Heller (architecture), Arpad Szenes (fine arts) or Izidor Kürschner (soccer), just to name a few. A landmark of the presence of a community of more than 100,000 Brazilians with Hungarian origins is the well known Colégio Santo Américo. It was founded in 1951, in Sao Paulo, by Hungarian Benedictine monks from Pannonhalma.
As the Ambassador to Hungary, I have always benefited from a very welcoming and friendly attitude on the part of my interlocutors in the Government and in your country as a whole.
- Could you elaborate on the diplomatic engagements between the two countries and the common foreign policy goals?
My response could mention many areas of diplomatic cooperation, but I wish to focus on those that are particularly relevant in our present international agenda.
A key area of diplomatic engagement is the MERCOSUR-EU Partnership Agreement.
Within our respective blocs, both Brazil and Hungary have been engaged in the effort to achieve a balanced agreement to create one of the largest free trade areas in the world.
I also wish to highlight Hungary’s support to the expansion of the United Nations Security Council, with the inclusion of Brazil among its permanent members. This fact illustrates the level of diplomatic trust between our two countries. Hungary has also been a strong supporter of Brazil’s admission to the OECD. This interview provides me with an opportunity to reaffirm our appreciation for that.
- Talking about bilateral relations, what are the main sectors of cooperation between the two countries?
Our political dialogue has intensified in recent years, under the umbrella of the Protocol on Political Consultations. In 2019, there was an exchange of visits of ministers of Foreign Affairs and, in 2022, we were honored by the exchange of visits of Presidents.
Furthermore, last March the Vice-President of the Hungarian Parliament traveled to Brazil with the goal of intensifying the parliamentary dialogue.
Brazil and Hungary cooperate in numerous areas, such as defense, trade, science, technology and innovation, education, culture, humanitarian cooperation, water management, justice and so on. Here, I wish to single out one specific development, which provides an extraordinary example for the potential and achievements in Brazil-Hungary relations.
In November 2020, the Hungarian government purchased two KC-390 military transport aircrafts produced by Embraer Defense and Security (a Brazilian company with headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos-Sao Paulo State). This deal has an important commercial dimension, as it will contribute to a more balanced development of trade flows between Brazil and Hungary. But I believe that its importance goes much further than that. Hungary became the second NATO country to buy these aircrafts. There are also clear benefits to bilateral cooperation in the field of technology and innovation. Trade in high technology goods will be promoted. Embraer opened an office in Budapest, aimed at identifying further cooperation opportunities with companies, universities, and research centers.
In 2022, Embraer and Aeroplex Central Europe signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a center for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of Embraer aircrafts in Hungary. It can be said that the sale of military transport aircrafts to Hungary opened a new phase in bilateral relations and its benefits will continue to be felt in the years ahead.
- Could you elaborate on how Brazil and Hungary cooperate in the field of culture, science, and education?
There is no lack of examples here! Every year, Brazilian students are offered 250 scholarships within the scope of the Stipendium Hungaricum Program. Brazil is the largest beneficiary among Latin American countries. I have been able to attend some graduation ceremonies and was happy to see how much Brazilian students have been able to benefit from this Hungarian program. On the other hand, Brazilian higher education institutions would like to welcome Hungarian students, too. Perhaps this interview can help us reach out to students who might be interested in this opportunity within our own program, known as PEC-G.
In the field of culture, we are glad to witness a growing interest in cultural events promoted by the Embassy with the invaluable support of local partners such as the Ervin Szabó Metropolitan Library, the Botanical and Zoological Garden, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest, the House of Music, the Museum of Ethnography, the Museum of Natural Sciences, among others. Two exhibitions are currently open to the public (“The Great Forest’, at the Ecological School Nagy Sándor József, in Budakeszi, and “Social Entrepreneurship: Local Identity and Knowledge”, at the Ervin Szab Metropolitan Library
– Köruti, in Budapest) and six more are scheduled to be opened this year in Budapest, Szentendre and Veszprem. With the support of the Brazil’s National Library Foundation, a Hungarian translation of Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas, a famous novel by Machado de Assis, arguably the most important Brazilian writer, is about to be published.
Furthermore, the embassy traditionally participates both in the Latin American and Portuguese language film festivals. It will also organize a Brazilian film festival, at the Urania movie theater, between May and June 2023.
In the field of education, it is worth mentioning that since 2002 the embassy supports the Brazilian Lectureship (“Leitorado”) at the Department of Portuguese Language and Literature at the Faculty of Letters of Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences in Budapest (ELTE). Now, there are 54 students registered. At the same place, since 2016 there is a Brazilian Scientific Center connected to this Lectureship.
We hope to strengthen our relations also in the field of Science, Technology and Education (STI). The Embassy regularly circulates to the Hungarian public a Newsletter on STI developments in Brazil. Last year, we promoted the first virtual mission of Brazilian startups to Hungary, whereas the Consulate-General of Hungary in Sao Paulo organized the first virtual mission of Hungarian startups to Brazil. Also in 2022, the Brazilian Research and Industrial Innovation Association (EMBRAPII) and the National Research, Development, and Innovation Office (NRDIO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch joint calls on STI projects. This year, we plan to have a mission from Brazil on Governmental Technologies (GovTech).
- What are the main regional cooperation programs, in which the two countries jointly participate?
The III EU-CELAC (Community of Latin America and Caribbean states) Summit of Heads of State and Government, to be held in Brussels on 17-18 July, will further explore initiatives aimed at promoting closer relations between our two regions. This forum, which this time will meet under Spain’s rotating presidency of the EU Council, is probably the most important platform for regional cooperation programs.
- What are the institutions supporting business development between the two countries (business clubs, trade agencies, governmental offices)?
The most important agencies on the Brazilian side are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Development and its trade promotion agency (APEX), which has an office in Brussels, as well as the trade promotion section of the Brazilian Embassy here in Budapest. In the private sector, I could highlight, among others, the National Confederation of Manufactures (CNI) and the National Confederation of Agriculture (CNA), which are both very active.
On the Hungarian side, we have contacts with different Ministries (Foreign Affairs and Trade, Defense, Innovation and Culture, Justice, Development, Interior, Energy, and Agriculture, among others), as well as with many institutions, such as National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK), Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK), Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BKIK), Hungarian Defense Export Agency Ltd. (VEX),
Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA).
- Plans for the future?
I believe that the points already mentioned provide a broad roadmap for Brazilian-Hungarian relations. But I would like to take advantage of this question to emphasize two topics.Trade is certainly one area in which we need to do more. The level of exchanges is low, particularly when we consider the size of our two economies and our strong comparative advantages – Brazil as a world leader in agricultural production, commodities and some industrial areas; and Hungary with its strong research and technological tradition. With that in mind, we look forward to the VI Meeting of our Joint Economic Bilateral Commission on the second half of this year.
Also, bearing in mind the quick technological transformations our world is going through
– such as those in the fields of Al, digitalization, new materials, energy transition and climate change – I believe that the field of STI will become more and more of a priority.
The aforementioned meeting will be an opportunity to further develop this potential.
Last but not least, personally I hold dear that the Embassy continues to promote an active cultural program in Hungary.
Susan Kleebank, Ambassador of Brazil
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