Remarks by Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis at the July 4th commemoration:

- as delivered -

Minister Hende, Minister Pinter, fellow ambassadors, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Today we are celebrating the 236th anniversary of American independence. Welcome, and a big howdy and thank y’all to everyone who came dressed in our Western theme! I also want to express my appreciation to our sponsors for all the wonderful support they have given to make this event possible. And I’d also like to thank our Embassy staff, and especially Rob Peaslee for all his hard work.

This year we are commemorating the 90th anniversary of U.S.-Hungarian diplomatic relations. We have much to be proud of. As NATO allies, U.S. and Hungarian troops serve shoulder to shoulder in Afghanistan and around the world. And as friends, Hungary served as our protecting power in Libya while operations at our Embassy in Tripoli were suspended in 2011.

In honor of this 90th anniversary, House of Representatives Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi visited Budapest and presented the Hungarian government with a copy of the original treaty, signed in 1921. This treaty established “friendly relations” between our two countries, and as Leader Pelosi noted, we continue to “celebrate a friendship which is based on our shared values.”

Of course, even though we are celebrating 90 years of diplomatic relations, the relationship between our two countries goes back much further. In fact, it goes all the way back to the struggle for American independence itself.

Many of you know the story of Colonel Mihaly Kovats. But on this day, at this celebration, his story deserves repeating. Mihaly Kovats was a Hungarian military leader and nobleman from Karcag. Upon hearing of the American struggle for independence, he volunteered his services to Benjamin Franklin, who was then serving as our Ambassador to France. He travelled across the Atlantic and was commissioned a Colonel-Commander in the continental army. Colonel Kovats, a Hungarian hussar, recruited, trained and led what became the first U.S. Cavalry unit. On May 11, 1779, while leading an assault on British forces that were laying siege to Charleston, South Carolina, he was struck down and he died on the battlefield.

As his story shows, the American and Hungarian people are united in our love of freedom, and in the hope of creating a foundation for prosperity, human rights, and democratic, open and pluralistic societies around the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, I would now like to welcome to the podium our honored guest and my dear friend, Minister of Defense Csaba Hende. Thank you.

Source: U.S. Embassy Budapest

Photo: Ambassador Kounalakis and Defense Minsiter Csaba Hende. (Embassy photo by Attila Németh)