President Katalin Novák met German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan on the sidelines of the opening of the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.
President Novák said on Twitter that she had had a “meaningful conversation” with Scholz and that she and Steinmeier were in agreement that they could “do a lot together for the mutual benefit of our two countries”. Concerning her talks with the Armenian president, Novák said she was looking forward to welcoming Ashot Smbatyan, Armenia’s ambassador to Hungary, at the Demographic Summit in Budapest in September. President Novák on Saturday took part in the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games at the head of the Hungarian team. Earlier in the day, she opened a new exhibition of the Hungarian embassy presenting the history of Hungary’s Special Olympics movement through the works of Hungarian photographer György Soós and Chinese photographer Wei Xiang, who lives in Hungary and is a major supporter of the Special Olympics association. Lajos Lengyel, president of Special Olympics Hungary, said at the exhibition’s opening that the president’s attendance would give “great motivation” to the Hungarian athletes, which they would repay with “a slew of medals”. He said Novák’s backing of the Special Olympics movement showed that she stayed true to her promise to support those in need and those with disabilities. Hungary’s Special Olympics movement comprises over 1,000 licenced athletes. On Sunday, the president attended the 25m freestyle swimming quarter-final with Hungarian fans. The 16th Special Olympics World Games in Berlin features some 7,000 athletes from 200 countries competing in 26 disciplines. Hungarian athletes are competing in 15 disciplines.