Mr Orbán recalled that they had met with President Erdogan for the 32nd time, and highlighted that the historical context helped with understanding cooperation between the two peoples and the two countries. Hungary is in the West, but we are not part of either the Slavic or the Germanic or the Latin world as we left our kin in the East, he laid down.
He added that relations maintained with the Turkic world were of enormous significance. This has always been so, except in the last one hundred years when Hungarian relations with the Turkic world thinned down, he observed.
Mr Orbán also said after 2010, President Erdogan drew his attention to the fact that “new times were coming,” and the Turkic world would gather vast amounts of energy. At that point in time, he invited Hungary to the council of Turkic states, first only as an observer, and since then they have continuously strengthened this cooperation, he recalled.
In the region surrounding Hungary, the truly vigorous, emerging and strengthening world is the Turkic world, the Hungarian Prime Minister pointed out, adding that as the Hungarians have their cultural roots as well as their roots of origin here, they would like to exploit the advantages and opportunities that stem from this.
This is why we have raised our cooperation to a strategic level, he indicated.
Mr Orbán recalled that when he first met with President Erdogan, the annual volume of Turkish-Hungarian trade was just USD 2.5 billion. This has now increased to almost USD 6 billion, but the Turkish President has now set a target of USD 10 billion a year which Hungary has welcomed, he stated.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the Russo-Ukrainian war. He stressed that it was important for Hungary that, together with Turkey, it belonged to the peace camp on the issue of the current Russo-Ukrainian war.
“We take the view that there is no solution on the battlefield, and if there is no solution on the battlefield, a peace deal must be concluded,” he stated, highlighting that also earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made major efforts in the interest of peace.
He was the first successful mediator in this war, “and today, we agreed to coordinate our peace efforts,” he stated.
At the same time, Mr Orbán also thanked President Erdogan for his migration policy. If Turkey were not defending Europe and Hungary immediately at its southern edge, then life in Europe would be unliveable now, and we would be swimming “in a sea of illegal migration,” he said.
He pointed out that every year Turkey detained hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants, and also at present, more than three million migrants were living in the country.
On behalf of Hungary, Mr Orbán thanked the Turkish President because he helps “to prevent this modern civilisational phenomenon from sweeping us away.”
The Prime Minister underlined that Hungary would do everything it could in order for Brussels and the European Union to recognise Turkey’s efforts.
Mr Orbán added that with his host he had also discussed energy issues. Hungary recently agreed with the United States that the US sanctions imposed on Russian gas and oil would not apply to our country, and we also managed to reach an agreement with the Russians on continued supplies. Today, they agreed with President Erdogan that the Turks would secure the transport route for this, he announced.
The Prime Minister highlighted that this guarantee was “a serious affair,” and may well be needed as this year alone, 7.5 billion cubic metres of gas has arrived in Hungary via Turkey.
At the press conference, the Prime Minister thanked the Turkish President for the opportunity of energy cooperation, and stressed that the two countries’ largest energy companies cooperated with each other.
Mr Orbán said after the Monday talks, “we have the highest hopes regarding political, energy, economic and defence cooperation between Hungary and Turkey.”
The European economy has changed, the defence industry is becoming ever more important. The bridges that also enable defence industry cooperation between the two countries have been built, Mr Orbán said.
