Hungary the one to foster cooperation between EU and Organisation of Turkic States

Hungary will strive to foster cooperation between the European Union and the Organisation of Turkic States during its EU presidency starting in July, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Tuesday after meeting Kubanitsbek Omuraliyev, the organisation’s chief.

Cooperation between EU and Organisation of Turkic States?

Hungary prizes its observer status in the Organisation of Turkic States, given today’s heightened geopolitical challenges which have enhanced the role of Central Asia and the Turkic world, Szijjártó said at a joint press conference.

New East-West trade routes are emerging, and the region offers alternative energy sources, he said, noting the fallout of the war in Ukraine and related sanctions.

The EU can benefit and boost its competitiveness by enhancing its cooperation with Turkic states. The minister added that a relevant agreement and schedule was signed on Tuesday.

Szijjártó noted a more than doubling of trade turnover with Turkic states since 2010, the value of which exceeded 5 billion US dollars for the first time last year.

Fully 1,040 students from Turkic member countries can study in Hungary each year with a scholarship, and more than 5,100 applied for places this year, he noted.