COULD YOU PLEASE EVALUATE THE POLITICAL AND CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TURKEY AND HUNGARY?

We are brotherly nations striving for political and cultural relationships. It is reflected in multiple fields from the regularization of high-level political interactions through the cooperation between our Ombudsman Institutions to the presence of the Hungarian Cultural Centre in Istanbul, which is a vivid cultural hub of the city. During the last visit of Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to Budapest on January 31, 2023, we agreed to elevate the relations between the two countries to Enhanced Strategic Partnership. Moreover, we highly appreciate Türkiye’s crucial role as a global peace negotiator in the Ukrainian war and we are aware of the fact that Hungary’s energy security is not realistic without Türkiye. We traditionally support each other in international organizations, such as NATO, the EU, the UN, the Council of Europe, and the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). By opening the European Representation Office of OTS in Budapest in 2019, Hungary demonstrated its significant support as an observer state.

HOW WAS HUNGARY’S RESPONSE TO THE TWIN QUAKES THAT HIT SOUTH OF TURKEY ON FEBRUARY 6?

Hungary provided immediate assistance to Türkiye. All in all, six rescue teams - including HUNOR, the “elite unit” of the National Directorate of Disaster Management - a total of 167 Hungarian rescuers and 29 rescue dogs saved 35 people’s life. We have sent ten tons of relief supplies and 105 tons of medical equipment to Türkiye to help alleviate the needs of earthquake victims.

After the devastating earthquakes, Minister Péter Szijjártó paid a visit to Türkiye to show solidarity and convey condolences. In addition to this, we are committed to actively participating in the reconstruction efforts. The Hungarian government has offered to fund the reconstruction of an Orthodox church in Adiyaman and a cultural center in Osmaniye, both of which were damaged during the earthquakes. Moreover, we will lend our support to rebuild a hospital to be selected by the Turkish authorities.