Hungarian President on state visit this week

Hungarian President László Sólyom arrives in Malta for a 40-hour state visit on Thursday afternoon.

He will be officially welcomed by the President and Mrs Eddie Fenech Adami on St George's Square, Valletta, on Thursday at 3.30 p.m., where he will also inspect an Armed Forces of Malta guard of honour. Mr Sólyom will later be received by the President at the Palace.

There will be a state concert in his honour, hosted by the President and Mrs Fenech Adami, at the Palace in the evening, which will be followed by a state dinner.

On Friday morning Mr Sólyom will plant a tree in the gardens of San Anton Palace. In the evening, he will host the President and Mrs Fenech Adami at a reception for the Hungarian community at the Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard.

While in Malta, Mr Sólyom will address the local business community at the Chamber of Commerce. Current bilateral relations are described as sound: figures from the National Statistics Office show a balance of trade in favour of Hungary of Lm2.2 million. Maltese investment in Hungary is mainly by the Corinthia Hotels Group in two large hotels in Budapest.

Tourism from Hungary reached an all-time high in 2006 of about 9,000 visitors.

Meanwhile, scholarships offered by Hungary's National Academy of Ballet to the Dance Council (Malta) will be taken up this summer.

During his visit, Mr Sólyom will also lay a wreath beneath the marble plaque at the Lower Barrakka Gardens, Valletta, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution.

Mr Sólyom leaves Malta on Saturday morning.