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Turkey and Azerbaijan are ready to provide all support to Hungary in the field of gas supply, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday at a joint press conference following talks with Hungarian President Katalin Novák.
In his speech, Erdogan referred to the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP) as a guarantee that will connect to the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) and transport natural gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz gas field to Europe.
Turkey plays a key role in addressing the energy crisis in Europe, as well as being essential to guarantee Hungary’s security of supply, since the TurkStream is now the only East-West gas pipeline on the continent operating at full capacity. Last year, 4.8 billion cubic meters of gas arrived in Hungary via this route, which is about half of the the country’s total consumption, so its loss would make the supply impossible.
Azerbaijan also has an important role in Hungary’s energy security. Last December, a quadrilateral agreement had been reached which will allow Hungary to import green electricity from Azerbaijan via a new cable through Georgia and Romania.
Speaking about Turkish-Hungarian relations, Erdogan also thanked Hungary for its support during the rescue efforts after the earthquakes in southern Turkey on February 6. He said that “the helping hand was a direct expression of our deep friendship,” adding that Hungarian troops rescued 35 Turks from the rubble.
Erdogan said that he had held talks with Hungarian President Katalin Novák mainly on trade, military, economic, and cultural issues.
He also indicated that the 6th meeting of the Turkish-Hungarian High Level Strategic Cooperation Council will be held in Budapest in December.
The Turkish President reported that the annual trade turnover of the two countries has reached 3.5 billion dollars, with the next target being 6 billion dollars.
This was confirmed earlier by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as well when he met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu in January. The two sides discussed at the time to further strengthen bilateral relations between Hungary and Turkey.
Featured photo via Facebook/South East Med Energy & Defense
