She met with students at the American Corner and encouraged them to pursue studies in the United States. She underlined the importance of tolerance and diversity, which are two key features of American society.

The Ambassador delivered remarks to American Studies students at the University of Debrecen (UD) and gave an outline of U.S. foreign policy objectives related to Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and the Balkans. She also discussed issues of European security and energy security. Ambassador Kounalakis emphasized the major policy shift taken by the Obama administration, which aims at engaging nations around the world in a dialogue and treating them as partners when it comes to solving problems.

The Ambassador had lunch with Rector László Fésűs and other UD officials and then toured the National Instruments plant in Debrecen. She also visited a disaster relief training facility in Hajdúszoboszló, where the Ohio National Guard is training with Hungarian soldiers to be deployed in Afghanistan as a joint U.S. – Hungarian Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT) later this year. The Ambassador concluded her official program in Debrecen with a breakfast with Mayor Lajos Kósa and his wife."

Source: U.S. Embassy Budapest

Photo: Ambassador Kounalakis speaking with Hungarian students at the Debrecen American Corner (Embassy photo by Attila Németh)