For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
August 1, 2007

Remarks by Mrs. Bush and Wife of the Hungarian Ambassador, Mrs. Náda P. Simonyi, After Viewing Photo Exhibition
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C.

Photos

9:58 A.M. EDT

MRS. BUSH: This is my opportunity to be with Mrs. Simonyi to see this terrific photography show at the National Gallery. I want to urge people to come out and see it. It's a photography show, photo montage, put together from Central European countries, from between World War I and World War II -- very interesting, both for the forward look of a lot of it, as well as the history of those times, that now we can look back on and know what some of these photos and photo montages foretold from that time.

But also it's my opportunity to say good-bye to the ambassador's wife from Hungary, before they retire from their ambassadorial post. President Bush and I enjoyed very much having the opportunity both to be in Budapest with them, as well as be with them many times here in the United States. And so I want to wish you the very best, and I also want to take this opportunity again to emphasis how important our friendship with Hungary is.

So thank you very much, Náda, and very, very good luck to you.

MRS. SIMONYI: Mrs. Bush, thank you very much for accepting my invitation. We think this show is very important, showing the artistic values and powerful creativity that that region of the world had, and hopefully has and will have.

And I am very grateful -- I told you I consider your visit as the biggest farewell present I could imagine. And both my husband and myself are very grateful for all the support you gave us throughout our five-year post in Washington, D.C. And we are really very, very grateful for the good relations that Hungary and the United States has developed in the past few years. We always got the support needed, and we believe that this relation has a very big potential and must go on in the future.

Thank you very much.

MRS. BUSH: Thanks, you all. Thanks for coming out. And we want to encourage everyone this summer to come see this show. It's very interesting. Thanks a lot.

Q It's beautiful.

MRS. BUSH: It is beautiful.

END 10:00 A.M. EDT