Ljubljana’s name has been given to a square in District XI

István Tarlós, Mayor of Budapest, Ksenija Škrilec, departing Ambassador of Slovenia in Hungary, Zoran Janković, Mayor of Ljubljana and Tamás Hoffmann Tamás, Mayor of Újbuda (l-r) at the naming ceremony

The Slovenian capital's, Ljubljana's name has been given to a square in District XI of Budapest at the lower end of Bükköny and Sáfrány street. The General Assembly of Budapest has decided to name a so-called nameless space on 21 June.

The Slovenian and Hungarian capitals have exceptionally good relations. In recent years, major consultations have been made on cultural, tourism, energy, transport, water management and urban development - said the Mayor of Budapest, Mr. István Tarlós at the naming ceremony. The so-called green cities and smart infrastructure also imply forward-looking co-operations, he added. Mayor Tarlós stated: the Slovenian attitude and results of recent years can serve as examples of environmental protection for Budapest as well. The name of the square indicates that Budapest is also committed to further building the Hungarian-Slovenian relations in the future, he said. Mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, stressed that the cooperation of the two capitals is developing day by day. The task is to expand friendly co-operation so that more and more tourists contact between the two countries - he added.

Ksenija Škrilec, departing Ambassador of Slovenia in Hungary, who initiated the naming, spoke of trying to bring the Slovenes and the Hungarians closer, because - as stated - "we still know each other very little despite we live side by side for centuries".

The street signboard was unveiled by István Tarlós, Zoran Janković and Ksenija Škrilec.