THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE XVII IBEROAMERICAN DAYS AND THE INAUGURATION OF THE LATIN-AMERICAN RESEARCH CENTER (CIAL) OF THE ELTE TOOK PLACE ON 9TH MAY 2016

Ambassadors of Latin-America, Spain and Portugal, professors of different universities, from the Catholic University of Pázmány Péter, University of Pécs and University of Szeged among others, participated in the ceremony of inauguration. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Ministry of Human Resources were also present.

The Ambassador Isabel Téllez participated in the event as the doyenne of the GRULA (Latin-American Group). Apart from greeting her colleagues from the diplomatic corps and the representatives of the Hungarian universities, she gave her warm Greetings to Prof. Gabriella Menzel, Titular Professor of Hispanic Literature in the Spanish Department of the Eötvös Lóránd University (ELTE) remembering that in the II. Hungary-Latin-America Forum that took place on 15-16th October 2015 in Budapest it was she, who announced the creation of the Latin-American and the Caribbean Research Center that at last was inaugurated this day.

Regarding the Iberoamerican Days of Pécs she stressed that Mexico, since 2000, has been participating every year in this cultural and scientific meeting, promoting this way the participation of Mexican experts and scientists.

During the double inauguration, since the same day the Iberoamerican Days of Pécs were also opened, the Prof. László Borhy, academic dean of the Humanities Faculty of the ELTE University expressed that it was an important step to create an interdisciplinary center, a research center. He gave a broad picture about the bilateral relations between ELTE and other Latin-American countries.

The representatives of the Hungarian Government all agreed that they are convinced that the center, corresponding to their objectives, will cover the coordination and dissemination of academic and cultural events.  The topics covered include: student mobility, “Stipendium Hungaricum” Scholarship offered by the Hungarian Government, just like several aspects of the respective bilateral conventions.

At the end of the event, the Prof. Gabriella Menczel acknowledged the attention of the participants and informed them that the X. International Hispanic Studies Conference “America: land of utopias” organized by the University of ELTE will take place on 17th and 18th October 2016, with the participation of Latin-American professors, with Mexicans among others, from the UNAM, Tecnológico de Monterrey and from the Colegio de México.