Both the economy and energy supply are facing uncertainty, brutal price increases, and supply difficulties in Central and Eastern Europe, Szijjártó warns.Continue reading
The Carmelite Monastery, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s office is based, has been busy in recent days, with the Azerbaijani President meeting the Hungarian Prime Minister on Monday and the Turkish Foreign Minister arriving on Tuesday. Mevlüt Cavusoglu arrived in Budapest at the invitation of his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó. The two countries got closer to signing a key strategic partnership agreement.
During the meeting between Viktor Orbán and Mevlüt Cavusoglu, they agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations between Hungary and Turkey. Orbán stated that Hungary is committed to the development of economic relations and will do its utmost to achieve the $6 billion Hungarian-Turkish trade turnover.
The Hungarian Prime Minister said that Europe cannot be stable and secure without Turkey’s stability and security, adding that this is why the European Union must support Turkey in addressing the challenges of migration.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (R) with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu (L) and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó at the Carmelite Monastery.
Orbán and Cavusoglu agreed that the international community should make efforts to bring the Russian-Ukrainian war to a peaceful end as soon as possible.
The Turkish Foreign Minister also met with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who said after the meeting that negotiations had begun on the establishment of a key strategic partnership agreement between Hungary and Turkey, as cooperation between the two countries is important to addressing the three main security challenges facing Hungary.
At a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, the Hungarian Foreign Minister pointed out that recent events have significantly enhanced Turkey’s standing and Hungary highly values Ankara’s role in addressing key global challenges.
He stressed that Hungary, as a neighbor of Ukraine, feels the negative effects of the war, and is therefore interested in peace as soon as possible. According to Szijjártó,
the war can only be ended through negotiations, as demonstrated by Turkey’s successful mediation attempt, referring to the agreement on the resumption of grain exports.
At the press conference it was also mentioned that the Council of Wise Men of the Organization of Turkic States had taken the initiative to nominate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the Nobel Peace Prize, given that the only successful mediation attempt in the war in Ukraine was made by the President of Turkey.
Szijjártó pointed out that Turkey also plays a key role in addressing the energy crisis in Europe, as well as being essential to guarantee Hungary’s security of supply, as the Turkish Stream is now the only East-West gas pipeline on the continent operating at full capacity. He then turned to the third security challenge, illegal migration, which Europe cannot tackle without Turkey. “If Turkey does not curb illegal migration, we in Europe will face an unmanageable challenge,” he said, calling on the international community to create conditions for Syrian refugees to return home.
Featured photos via MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
