On May 21, the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States took place at the Várkert Bazár in Budapest. The organization is considered to be an increasingly important player in the political and economic networks of Central Asia and Eurasia, and the informal summit held in Budapest shows that Hungary is ready to develop strategic cooperation with the Turkic states.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also welcomed Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Türkiye at the Carmelite Monastery.
Viktor Orbán and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, featured photo: MTI/Prime Minister’s Press Office/Benko Vivien Cher
Other leaders—Kubanicsbek Ömüralijev, Secretary General of the Turkic Council; Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev; Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov; Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev; and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev—were also in attendance for the summit.
The primary objective of the Budapest summit is to reinforce Hungary’s role as a bridge between East and West, while providing a platform for member state representatives to define the organization’s future strategic direction.
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, reported at a press conference following the informal summit that Hungary joined the organization as an observer seven years ago and that the world has changed significantly since then; however, these changes have only further enhanced the importance of cooperation with the Turkic states.
Hungary has been successful in this field, as evidenced by the fact that the European headquarters of the organization is located in Budapest and that its Director General—appointed by member states—is Balázs Hendrich, Consul General in Istanbul,”
he emphasized.
He also warned that humanity is living in an age of danger, with Europe facing serious challenges in the areas of security, the economy and energy supply, however, Hungary has found it easier to respond to these difficulties due to its cooperation with the Turkic states. He emphasized that the Turkic states have been able to strengthen their economies even in the current turbulent period, increasing their gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 percent in recent years.
We have also benefited from this, having doubled our trade with the Turkic states. As a result of significant infrastructure developments, transport times between Europe and China will be reduced by about a week(…) Hungary has taken advantage of the fact that the economic growth of the Turkic states has not stalled,”
he emphasized.
As examples, he mentioned that Hungary and Türkiye’s largest railway construction companies have formed a strategic alliance, Hungarian pharmaceutical companies will soon start production in Azerbaijan, a new air service will connect Hungary with Kazakhstan starting next week, an industrial park has been established in Uzbekistan specifically for Hungarian companies, and a hydroelectric power plant is being built in Kyrgyzstan with Hungarian participation.
Péter Szijjártó and Kubanicsbek Ömüralijev, featured photo: MTI/Bodnár Boglárka
The Foreign Affairs Minister then stated that Hungary’s energy supply would not be as secure today as it is without the Turkic states, adding that this is not a political question but a physical one, given that the majority of natural gas is already transported via the Turkish Stream pipeline.
He pointed out that Hungarian companies have acquired stakes in oil and natural gas fields in Azerbaijan, MOL has recently started natural gas production in Kazakhstan, and decisions have been made to build nuclear power plants in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, with Hungarian technology to be used in the process.
The region represented by the Organization of Turkic States has become the world’s third largest source of oil and natural gas, so Hungary’s good cooperation with these countries is of enormous importance in terms of energy supply,”
he said.
Minister Szijjártó also touched on the issue of security and called the organization a “true champion of peace,” as these countries have the best chance of promoting settlement in three serious armed conflicts. He praised Türkiye for its mediation between the warring parties in Ukraine and welcomed the fact that a peace agreement had also been reached in the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict.
He announced that a statement had been adopted during the day that offered Afghanistan a good chance of stabilization, which could eliminate a very serious source of global terrorist threats.
The Turkic states have made significant and successful efforts to promote peace and global security, and Hungary intends to contribute through its peace-oriented policy”
he added.
“The Organization of Turkic States is a successful organization in every respect, and Hungary has benefited greatly from our cooperation so far. We are interested in deepening our cooperation even further for the benefit of Hungary’s success,” Szijjártó concluded.
Via MTI, Magyar Nemzet; Featured photo: MTI / Prime Minister’s Press Office / Zoltán Fischer
