Türkiye and Hungary have elevated their relations to the level of an enhanced strategic partnership on Monday, 8 December. The development has been announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during a joint press conference in Istanbul.
The two leaders said that cooperation between the two countries is excellent in the fields of transport, tourism, defence, culture and economy. Erdoğan announced that they had decided to further strengthen cooperation in all areas, citing the expansion of air traffic, as well as cooperation in culture, technology and higher education.
‘We have reached an excellent level in political relations, and the same can be said for economic relations,’ Erdoğan stressed. He noted that trade between the two countries has already approached $6 billion, but the field holds strong potential, with the future goal being to raise the volume to $10 billion.
Erdoğan underlined that since Orbán’s first visit to Türkiye in December 2013, this has been the seventh meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between the two countries. In addition to bilateral negotiations, he said they had met countless times at events under the aegis of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and at other international forums. ‘We want to further strengthen the deeply rooted ties between our peoples. I sincerely believe that today’s meeting has contributed to this,’ he said.
Erdoğan recalled that last year marked the centenary of the Treaty of Friendship between Türkiye and Hungary. Both Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok and PM Orbán attended the closing event of the joint cultural season. Hungary is highly active in the work of the OTS. In May last year, Hungary hosted the organization’s informal summit, held in Europe for the first time, he said.
The Istanbul talks also touched upon concrete commercial and investment projects in the defence industry, the president said.
Erdoğan emphasized that Europe’s security environment has changed, increasing the importance of the defence industry, and cooperation may reach new levels. During the consultations, important decisions were taken in the fields of energy, logistics and transport. They also discussed projects related to research and development, digitalization and artificial intelligence.
Türkiye still seeks to join the EU and counts on Hungary’s support, the president said, adding: ‘we know that you will continue to support us in the future.’
Erdoğan said the meeting also addressed developments in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, and global issues. Regarding the war in Ukraine, the president reiterated that they seek a just and lasting peace. He said they had been emphasizing this from the very beginning. ‘We want a just peace, and we will do everything in our power,’ he stated.
Talking at the press conference, Prime Minister Orbán said that Hungary and Türkiye will coordinate their peace efforts in the future. ‘We believe that there is no solution in the battlefield, and if there is no solution in the battlefield, then peace must be made,’ he pointed out. He praised Erdoğan for previous mediation efforts between Ukraine and Russia, highlighting that he was the first successful mediator between the warring parties. ‘Today we agreed to coordinate our peace efforts,’ he concluded.
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