Hungarian-Uzbek summit: We have managed to further develop relations between our countries even in dangerous times

On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had talks with Uzbek head of state Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Ankara where an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Turkic States will be held during the day, Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s press chief informed the Hungarian news agency MTI.

At the meeting, the parties established with pleasure that the friendship that existed between the two nations had been successfully institutionalised, and the implementation of the treaties concluded earlier was going to plan. They welcomed the fact that OTP Bank is now also active in the Uzbek banking system, and this paves the way for much wider Hungarian-Uzbek economic cooperation.

They pointed out that the launch of direct scheduled flights between Budapest and Tashkent within the shortest possible time was a priority.

At the meeting, the parties also spoke about the war in Ukraine and the crisis caused by the sanctions. They established that we were living in difficult and dangerous times which were negatively affecting both states. At the same time, global rearrangements are making a ceasefire and the restoration of peace as well as closer cooperation between Hungary and Uzbekistan all the more urgent, and it would be good if parallel with this the tightening of political and economic relations between Europe and Central Asia could accelerate, Mr Havasi said, reporting the proceedings of the talks.