Foreign Affairs Society Welcome Diplomats to the Ambassador’s Ball

On 14 March, the School of International Relations’ annual Ambassador’s Ball, hosted by Foreign Affairs Society, welcomed two guests of honour to St Andrews: His Excellency Dr Ferenc Kumin, Ambassador of Hungary to the United Kingdom, and Mr Stéphane Pailler, Consul General of France in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Inviting esteemed diplomatic officials to attend the Ambassador’s Ball is a new initiative started by Foreign Affairs Society this year. Ball Vice-Convener Joshua Inglesfield, who served as the Chief-Coordinator of the diplomats’ visit, explained that the initiative was intended to “add a level of diplomatic angle” to the popular International Relations gala. “It’s about the celebration of the highest levels of diplomacy and the highest levels of academia. We’re bringing together the highest rank in the diplomatic world with one of the highest ranked universities in the UK, and indeed the world,” he stated.

Inglesfield envisioned that the high table at the Ball, including the guests of honour as well as the School of IR President Cole Schubert, Foreign Affairs Society President Charlie Ball, and Ambassador’s Ball Convener Michael Blinski, would create an opportunity to “integrate the worlds of diplomacy and academia.”

When contacting the special guests’ respective embassies, Foreign Affairs Society emphasised the evening’s capacity to serve as an educational opportunity for students aspiring to become future diplomats. The society also explained that students could greatly benefit in their understanding of current affairs by learning from the insights of the highly accomplished diplomatic guests.

Foreign Affairs Society was keen to host Dr Kumin due to his extensive experience in academia, which the Society believed would allow him to convey both academic perspectives and practical insights when discussing foreign policy with students. Dr Kumin holds a PhD in Political Science and Government, and developed a strong background in academia as a lecturer at several Hungarian universities. Alexander Peris, the Foreign Affairs Society Guest Speaker Coordinator, stated an expectation that Dr Kumin would “be able to really help students understand Hungary’s foreign policy at every level.”

Prior to attending the ‘Agents and Alibis’ themed ball at Hotel du Vin, which featured a black-tie dinner complete with live jazz music and an afterparty, Dr Kumin delivered an educational lecture to students on the topic of Hungarian foreign policy. Foreign Affairs Society organised the speaking event to magnify the academic aspect of the evening, intending to create a unique opportunity for students to engage with pressing current issues in international affairs from an insider’s perspective. HE Dr Kumin told The Saint that he was ambitious to provide deeper insights from his experience in diplomacy, “to go a little bit beyond the headlines […] to provide a window on the things that I’m working on.”

Foreign Affairs Society was inspired to invite the French Consul-General due to the upcoming 730th anniversary of the Auld Alliance, a historical Scottish-French alliance that established strong diplomatic relations between Scotland and France. During the dinner segment of the Ball, Mr Pailler acknowledged the significance of the agreement, and concluded his remarks by offering a toast to the alliance.

The diplomats indicated that being invited to a university ball was an unconventional experience. Dr Kumin told The Saint: “I’d never been invited to a ball that is organised entirely by students. It’s a special feature of this University, and it’s a lot of fun and a new experience.” Reflecting on the evening, Mr Pailler stated: “I had a lot of discussion with the people at my table and I was very impressed by the level of wisdom in the questions regarding diplomacy.” Mr Pailler expressed that he was highly pleased with both the event and his overall visit to the University. Dr Kumin concurred that “[St Andrews] is exceptional, it’s just incredible.”

Image by Joshua Inglesfield