Cooperation between Europe and Central Asia is all the more valuable amid the current situation connected with the war in Ukraine, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said after meeting the new head of the Organisation of Turkic States on Friday.
Hungary’s participation in the work of the organisation helps it to sustain its economic growth, the minister said at a joint press conference held with the organisation’s secretary general, Kubanychbek Omuraliev. East-West cooperation has faced serious difficulties owing to the war in Ukraine, and in some areas it has seized up altogether, Szijjártó said. Hungary, given its geographical location, is affected more than others, taking into consideration that its economy has traditionally benefited highly from Europe-Asia cooperation.
Hungary, he added, did not want a new Cold War or a new Iron Curtain, or a fissure between East and West. The minister said new transport routes and partnerships may arise from connections between Europe and Central Asia which sustain elements of the existing economic model and East-West cooperation.
Hungary has benefited as an observer in the Organisation of Turkic States, he said, noting that Hungary has joined the organisation’s connectivity platform for expanding transport links throughout Eurasia, which can bypass routes that are now blocked owing to the war in Ukraine.
East-West trade, meanwhile, can benefit from reduced red tape, infrastructure developments, and digital technologies promoted by the organisation, he said. The minister also noted that the organisation’s Drought Prevention Institute will be set up in Budapest, tapping the knowledge and technology of world-class Hungarian engineering in the area of water management.
Hungary is also joining the organisation’s investment fund, Szijjártó said, adding that “in today’s challenging international environment, investments are vitally important for sustaining economic growth.” The minister noted that each year 650 students from countries belonging to the Organisation of Turkic States attend Hungarian higher education institutions with scholarships, and many of them also study here at their own expense.
Here are some photos of the meeting:
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received Omuraliev later in the day, and was quoted by his press chief as saying that “at times of danger, it is especially important to have as many allies and partners in the world as possible.” Referring to Hungary’s Eastern Opening strategy at the talks, Orbán said “we want to make everyone interested in making Hungary a successful and safe country”. Omuraliev is on a working visit in Hungary, as part of a tour of Turkic countries to have talks on the future and activities of his organisation.
Cooperation with the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) brings Hungary a big competitive edge, Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade said on Friday in Samarkand.
Europe is now grappling to ensure its current and future energy supplies, Peter Szijjarto said at the summit. “If we look at the facts without political and ideological bias, it is clear that energy supplies cannot be ensured without the Turkic states,” he said.
The gas pipeline reaching Hungary and Europe via Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia is the only safe and technically sound route to the region operating at full capacity these days, he said. “An operational TurkStream is key to Hungary’s energy security,” he said.
Hungary will also import “green electricity” from Azerbaijan, in line with an agreement between that country and the EU to import electricity via Georgia, Romania and Hungary, he said.
The OTS summit adopted a decision on setting up an investment fund, in which Hungary will also participate, he said.
Drawing investment to Hungary is a key strategy to stave off European recession, and eastern investors in the country overtook western ones in 2018, he said.
He noted that the past 12 years have seen trade revenue between Hungary and the Turkic states growing two-and-a-half-fold, to 4.5 billion dollars.
The Organisation of Turkic States comprises Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, with Hungary and Turkmenistan as observers.
Hungary sees the Organisation of Turkic States as a “forum of peace” when it comes to the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at a summit of the Turkic grouping in Samarkand on Friday.
Hungary, which has observer status in the organisation, is the only remaining eastern people in Europe, and being a neighbour of Ukraine, the effects of the war on the country are “huge and immediate”, Orbán said in his address. “More than a million refugees have entered the country, inflation is sky-high and we’ve never seen food and energy prices as high as they are now,” he said. Hungary’s aim is for a ceasefire to be declared in Ukraine and for peace talks to get under way as soon as possible, he said. This is also the only way to overcome the energy crisis, he added.
The biggest problem is that in Europe the voices of those who want peace is nowhere near as loud as the voices of those who want to heighten tensions, Orbán said. The European Union is an “escalation spiral” and international organisations are becoming increasingly politicised, limiting the possibility for meaningful dialogue based on common sense, he added.
The “severe sanctions” approved by the EU have also created a difficult situation, hurting the bloc’s original plan to weaken Russia and force peace, the prime minister said. But the sanctions have had the opposite effect, he said, arguing that as the war endured, it was not Russia but rather the European economy that had weakened.
Orbán added that in his view Europe did not have a “will of its own”, and was expected to support the foreign policy of the United States. This, he said, meant that the EU would be facing a serious economic situation for several years to come. Orbán thanked Turkey for its mediatory efforts to avert a food crisis, saying that such a crisis would generate another mass migration wave directly affecting Hungary. The prime minister noted that Hungary had prevented some 250,000 people from crossing its southern border illegally so far this year. He also thanked the summit’s other participants for their steps and remarks towards promoting peace.
Orbán also praised Turkey for its role in securing Hungary’s energy supply. Hungary is already paying a high price for energy, and the key to its energy security is the natural gas pipeline running through Turkey, which is the only east-west pipeline operating at full capacity, he said. He thanked Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, saying
Azerbaijan was “Hungary’s only real option” when it came to diversifying its energy sources and importing gas from a country other than Russia.
Baku, he added, also supported the initiative to bring green electricity to Europe in the form of a partnership between itself, Georgia, Romania and Hungary.
Hungary’s interest lies in maintaining cooperation between the East and the West, Orban said, stressing Hungary’s support for the work of the Organisation of Turkic States. Hungary will work to “make the Turkic vision a reality over the coming decade”, he added.
Orbán also said that Hungary will join the proposals aimed at facilitating and speeding up trade, and it supports the establishment of a Turkic investment fund.
The prime minister thanked the summit’s participants for their support for setting up an Institute for Drought Prevention in Hungary.
Commenting on Orbán’s address, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasised the importance of hearing about the situation in Europe. President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan thanked Hungary for its active participation in strengthening the integration of the Turkic world at both the regional and international levels. The Organisation of Turkic States comprises Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. Hungary and Turkmenistan have observer status in the grouping.
Hungary’s government supports efforts to restore peace and order in Kazakhstan, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday, adding that stability in Central Asia was in Hungary’s interest.
The past several years have shown that the situation of the Central Asian region has a fundamental impact on the security of Europe and specifically central Europe, the foreign ministry cited Szijjártó as saying in a video call with the foreign ministers of the Organization of Turkic States, in which Hungary has observer status.
“Our interests lie in a peaceful and stable Central Asia,”
Szijjártó said.
“Attempts at destabilisation and coups run completely counter to our security interests, since they end up making more room for acts of terror and the spread of radical and extremist ideologies, which tends to lead to the emergence of large migration waves from various regions.”
Szijjártó said the members of the Organization of Turkic States passed a joint declaration at their virtual meeting in which they condemned “violence and vandalism” in Kazakhstan, expressed their solidarity with the Kazakh people as well as their sympathies over the death toll in the wake of the upheaval in the country.
As regards the violent protests, Szijjártó said:
“We know very well from experience what tends to happen in these instances on the international political scene. We usually see so-called human rights groups and certain countries wanting to level criticism and approve declarations condemning the situation.”
“But there’s no place for those this time,” the minister said, adding that the international community should instead work to prevent a repeat of “similar worrying and violent developments”.
Those responsible for any form of violence must not be absolved and terrorist groups and organisations spreading extremist ideology must not be given space to operate, he added.
Meanwhile, Szijjártó said the recent developments in Kazakhstan had also demonstrated the importance of economic development schemes in the region, arguing that it was economic progress that provided the foundations of stability and peace. Hungary’s government therefore supports the creation of a Turkic investment fund, which could help launch further investment projects in Central Asia, he said.
Szijjártó also said that a military plane carrying Hungarian citizens evacuated from Kazakhstan landed in Kecskemét, in central Hungary, on Monday night.
As we wrote on Monday, referring to the events, Szijjártó said that in Kazakhstan “an attempt was made to topple the constitutional order, and a well-coordinated attack was made against the Kazakh state itself”.
Kazakhstan is a strategic partner, therefore
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev earlier on Monday and assured him of Hungary’s solidarity over victims of recent developments,
The Hungarians that requested help from the Hungarian government to leave Kazakhstan are being evacuated as planned, the foreign minister said, adding that they would arrive in Budapest on Monday evening, aboard an aircraft of the Hungarian military.
Hungary’s diplomatic representations have been in contact with some 100 Hungarians in Kazakhstan since the beginning of unrest in that country, Szijjártó said, adding that altogether 12 of them asked for help to leave.
Five people were rescued from Almaty last week, while six are being evacuated now and one person, holding dual citizenship, decided to stay in Almaty, Szijjártó said.
Under a recent agreement with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, the six Hungarians are leaving Almaty on board of a Russian aircraft. They will land near Moscow later in the day, and will be picked up by the Hungarian military plane, Szijjártó added.
Kazakhstan is a strategic partner, therefore Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev earlier on Monday and assured him of Hungary’s solidarity over victims of recent developments,
in Kazakhstan “an attempt was made to topple the constitutional order, and a well-coordinated attack was made against the Kazakh state itself”.
The Hungarian government offered its assistance to the Kazakh state last week, Szijjártó said, adding that on Tuesday foreign ministers of the Turkic Council, in which Hungary has observer status, will hold a video conference on the subject.
Cooperation among the members of the Turkic Council is based on mutual respect rather than countries lecturing each other, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said in Istanbul on Friday.
This approach is becoming increasingly rare in global politics, even though it could be helpful in managing even the biggest challenges, the minister said after a summit of Turkic Council members.
“Global politics is riddled with conflicts and attacks at a time when the coronavirus pandemic could have brought about a return of the culture of mutual respect in international political relations, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” Szijjártó said.
He said the Turkic Council was an excellent example of how geographically distant countries can interact with each other when their cooperation is based on mutual respect.
Hungarian PM and his delegation at the Turkic Council
Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
Hungarian PM and his delegation at the Turkic Council
Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
Szijjártó noted that the Turkic countries had sent medical equipment, face masks and the material used to manufacture them and disinfectants to Hungary during the first wave of the pandemic. “And when we were the ones who were in a position to help, we supported the countries of the Turkic Council by repatriating their citizens and sending them ventilators,” he said. The minister also noted that Hungary had signed agreements with Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan on the mutual recognition of each other’s Covid vaccination certificates.
“This is what we should be seeing in the world now that we’re in the fourth wave,” he said. “We should be recognising how dependent we are on each other.”
Meanwhile, he said Europe had never before faced such a complex set of challenges when it came to the issue of migration. “In fact, the situation is expected to get worse, now that 30,000-35,000 people are fleeing Afghanistan on a daily basis,” the minister said, adding that this figure was expected to rise.
Hungarian PM and his delegation at the Turkic Council
Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
Hungarian PM and his delegation at the Turkic Council
Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
Hungary and Europe’s interests lie in stopping the illegal migration waves as far away from the continent as possible, and this requires the help of the countries in the region and those countries situated along potential migration routes, Szijjártó said. The latter group, he said, therefore shouldn’t be encouraged to open their borders but should be supported in protecting them.
Forcing the countries of the region to take in Afghan migrants would have seen a repeat of the mistakes made during the 2015 migration crisis, Szijjártó said, adding that these countries had to have a say in the decisions that impacted them.
Meanwhile, Szijjártó emphasised the importance of cooperation with the Turkic countries in terms of the diversification of Europe’s energy supply, but said it was vital for that cooperation to be based on mutual respect “instead of constant lecturing”.
Azerbaijan has significant gas resources which could open up a new energy source for Europe if the capacities of the existing pipelines are increased, Szijjártó said, noting that Turkmenistan also had significant gas resources.
Hungary is initiating a high level summit of the leaders of the Turkic Council and the Visegrad Group (V4) in Budapest in the first half of 2022, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the summit of the Turkic Council in Istanbul on Friday.
Addressing the summit, Orbán noted that Hungary is holding the presidency of the Visegrad Group it forms with the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia until July 1 next year. The prime minister also touched on the shared historical and cultural heritage of the Hungarian and Turkic peoples, saying Hungarians were proud of that heritage.
As regards Hungary’s previous commitments to the Turkic Council, Orbán said Hungary had elevated its ties with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to a strategic partnership and had opened an embassy in Bishkek. Concerning education ties, he said Hungary has
increased the number of scholarships it offers to university students from the Turkic countries to 870.
“The scheme is a success, with more than 5,000 applications submitted for this academic year,” he said.
Turning to economic relations, Orbán said Hungary’s Eximbank has opened a 545 million dollar credit line to help finance business cooperation and Hungary and Kyrgyzstan last week launched a 16 million dollar joint development fund. Orbán said the Hungarian government supported the establishment of a Turkic investment fund and asked the council to enable Hungary to join it once it is set up. Hungary is prepared to contribute to the fund’s capital, he added.
As regards the situation in Afghanistan, Orbán said
Europe was facing an “unprecedented challenge”
when it came to migration and for the first time was under pressure from three directions. Stopping the emergence of new migration waves from Afghanistan, he added, was a fundamental security interest for Hungary. The prime minister assured the Turkic Council that he would not approve any European Union decision that ignores the security interests of the Turkic countries.
On the sidelines of the summit, Orbán held bilateral talks with Sadyr Japarov, the president of Kyrgyzstan, and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the president of Kazakhstan.
Leading a high-level delegation,
Orbán is on a two-day visit to Turkey.
On Thursday, he took part in the 5th meeting of the Hungarian-Turkish high-level strategic cooperation council in Ankara.
The Turkic Council is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2009 to promote comprehensive cooperation among Turkic speaking states. Its members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. Hungary has had observer status in the organisation since 2018.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbayev jointly opened the Kyrgyz embassy in Hungary in Budapest on Monday.
Szijjártó said countries in the West had censured Hungary for its policy of opening up to the East because “our Western friends didn’t want competition in Eastern markets”. But it was by now clear that Hungary’s strategy had borne fruit, he added.
Commenting on Hungary-Kyrgyzstan ties, the minister said there were no unresolved political issues and ties are supported by a stable financing such as a fund to boost bilateral trade.
Also,
150 Kyrgyz students come to Hungary each year and study with scholarships, a programme which is vastly oversubscribed, he added.
Alongside his Kyrgyz counterpart, Szijjártó also participated in a ceremony marking the Day of Turkic Cooperation and Unity at the mission of the Turkic Council in Budapest.
Hungary, he said at the event, is a Christian nation and a state reaching back more than a thousand years. In the course of its history, Hungary has been closely bound up with Eastern cultures, he added.
Szijjártó said
a nation could only be “strong” if it was “proud of its national identity” and refused “to give in to pressure to abandon its values, heritage and history.”
Notwithstanding their geographical remoteness from Hungary in many cases, he said ties with Turkic nations were “fraternal”, and this could be felt in everyday life.
The value of trade with Turkic countries worth more than 4 billion US dollars last year has doubled in ten years,
he said, noting that Hungary’s Eximbank has opened a 500 million dollar credit line, while the government is backing the establishment of a Turkic investment fund.
Fully 870 scholarships are available to Turkic Council member states for the purpose of studying in Hungarian higher education this year, with applications for places exceeding 5,000.
Szijjártó also welcomed the help Hungary received last year from “Eastern countries” in terms of the country’s efforts to procure health-care equipment.
As we wrote today, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó held talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart Ruslan Kazakbaev in Budapest, details here.
Hungary’s foreign policy strategy of opening to the East has proven to be successful over the past ten years, with economic cooperation with the Turkic countries greatly benefiting the country’s national economy, the foreign minister said in Istanbul on Monday.
Hungary’s exports to member states of the Turkic Council, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, have increased by 77 percent and the volume of trade with these countries has doubled during the period, Péter Szijjártó said at a joint press conference with Baghdad Amreyev, the secretary general of the Turkic Council.
Hungary’s exports to the Council’s countries this year have gone up by 43 percent, Szijjártó said, adding that all of the country’s increasing exports had greatly contributed to achieving its economic growth target.
The foreign minister said
Hungary will join the alliance of Turkic Chambers of Commerce and Industry which will hold its next business forum in Budapest in September.
Hungary will also participate in the setting up of a Turkic Investment Fund and a Turkic Development Bank, he said.
Szijjártó further noted Hungary’s role in establishing an institute of drought prevention under the auspices of the Turkic Council. “This is expected to give a boost to the exports of Hungarian water management and agricultural technologies,” he said.
In terms of education cooperation, Szijjártó highlighted great interest among the youth in the five Turkic Council’s member states, noting a sixfold overregistration for the 870 scholarships offered at Hungarian universities.
Answering a question, Szijjártó said
Hungary had been motivated to join the Turkic Council by the great contribution its member states are expected to make as a region to the global economy in future.
Responding to another question, the foreign minister noted the participation of Hungarian companies helped by Eximbank’s 100 million dollar credit line in transport, health-care and water management infrastructure reconstruction projects in the Karabakh region.
Hungary is committed to hosting in late spring a large-scale business forum of the chamber of industry and trade set up by the Turkic Council member states, Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, said at an online summit meeting of the Turkic Council on Wednesday.
The forum will pave the way for inter-company cooperation in major joint investment projects to be launched soon, he said. The prime minister noted that Hungary had been admitted to the Turkic Council as an observer three years ago. Since then, its diplomacy has laid great emphasis on boosting ties with the member states of the council, he said.
Raising relations to the level of strategic partnership and establishing a diplomatic mission in each country were priorities for Hungary, he said. In the last phase of this process
Hungary and Uzbekistan signed a declaration on strategic partnership
on Tuesday, and a Hungarian embassy opened in Kyrgyzstan recently, Orbán said.
Orbán noted that Hungary’s trade turnover with Turkic Council member states increased by 3 percent last year while global trade plummeted by 9 percent. Further,
five thousand young people from the Turkic countries applied for Hungarian universities and colleges this year,
he said.
Orbán confirmed Hungary’s intention to join the Turkic investment fund and contribute central funds to it so as to create a financial background to development projects.
He noted that Hungary had been the only EU member state pragmatic enough to use eastern vaccines in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, adding that all the other EU member states were motivated by ideological considerations when they rejected the Chinese and Russian vaccines.
Hungary has delivered 20 ventilators to Kyrgyzstan, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday after talks in Bishkek, adding that Hungary was prepared to help the countries that it had received assistance from when it found itself in a difficult situation because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic has brought about many unpredictable and unexpected developments, the minister said over the phone from the Kyrgyz capital, adding that it was “impossible to know who will find themselves in trouble and when”. This makes international cooperation all the more important, he said.
Hungary brought the ventilators to Kyrgyzstan because the country’s health-care sector are close to being overburdened, Szijjártó said.
He added that since Hungary had procured the health accessories necessary to mount an effective response to the epidemic, it could afford to bring the ventilators to Kyrgyzstan without jeopardising its own preparations even for a worst-case scenario.
In addition Hungary has also delivered a shipment of medicine donated by Austria, the minister said.
Szijjártó noted that when Europe and specifically Hungary had faced serious challenges concerning the pandemic, “each and every member of the Turkic Council came to our assistance.”
“Now, the tables have turned and Central Asia is in bigger trouble than Europe and those who had helped Hungary back then are now asking for our help,” the minister said.
To ensure that the two sides can count on each other in the future as well, “it is only natural that we’re now helping those who are in a difficult situation because when we were the ones in a difficult situation, they helped us,” he added.
Because the pandemic also affects the economy, Hungary must act now to ensure that Hungarian businesses are in the best possible position to be successful in the new global economic order that will emerge from the pandemic, Szijjártó said. Now is the time to lay the groundwork for the presence and success of Hungarian businesses in central Asia, he added.
To this end, Hungary and Kyrgyzstan reached an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and finalised deals on the mutual protection of investment projects which will soon be signed, Szijjártó said.
Hungarian pharmaceutical products are expanding their already strong presence on the Kyrgyz market, he said, adding that Hungarian businesses will also participate in international radioactive waste disposal projects.
Szijjártó also underlined the importance of the stability of Central Asia from the perspective of European security, saying that the region was especially exposed to terrorism, Islamic extremism and challenges stemming from Afghanistan. Hungary supports making Kyrgyzstan a member of the United Nations Security Council, the minister said, underscoring the importance of aiding Central Asian countries as part of the international community’s cooperation on security and counter-terrorism measures. Szijjártó also expressed Hungary’s support for a strategic partnership deal between the European Union and Kyrgyzstan, saying the agreement should be signed as soon as possible.
According to Xinhua, Kyrgyzstan reported 439 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the nationwide tally to 11,977.
Among the new cases, 105 are medical workers, raising the tally of contracted medical workers to 1,980, including 576 recoveries, said Ainura Akmatova, head of the public health care department of the country’s Health Ministry.
Akmatova said that 91 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals on Wednesday. In total, 5,314 patients have fully recovered from the infection, including 1,654 who received treatment at home.
There are currently 645 confirmed cases who are still being treated in hospitals, among whom 18 patients are in intensive care units and another 5,858 asymptomatic patients are in home quarantine.
The death toll reached 160 after 11 more fatalities were added.
Kyrgyz health professionals conducted 3,101 coronavirus tests in the past 24 hours.
Hungary will join an investment fund to be set up by countries of the Turkic Council, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after attending a teleconference of the council’s economy ministers on Wednesday.
In a Facebook entry, Szijjártó said that the fund would be instrumental in making investments primarily in food production, farming and infrastructure both in Hungary and Turkic Council countries. He added that Turkey would also join the fund.
Szijjártó said that Wednesday’s conference was given a special significance by the economic aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. He warned of restructuring trends in the global economy, including a strengthening of economies in the East.
While in 2007, 81 percent of global investments had been financed from Western funds, the share of Eastern capital had increased to 58 percent by last year, he argued.
In the conference, Szijjártó thanked Turkic countries for their contribution to Hungary’s efforts against the spread of coronavirus, and made special mention of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan for their face mask supplies.
Concerning ties with the Turkic countries, Szijjártó said that Hungary had doubled the turnover of trade with them in the past 10 years. He also added that Hungary’s Eximbank has offered a total 707 million dollars in loans aimed at assisting Hungarian companies with initiatives in Turkic countries.
Participants in the conference agreed that coronavirus-related restrictions should not slow down international trade, the free and fast movement of goods being in everybody’s interest, Szijjártó said.
The Council will not have to pay for the magnificent estate in the Budakeszi street, and it will function as the organisation’s office in Budapest.
According to index.hu, the estate is three-storeyed and 800 square metres. The Hungarian government bought it in 2016 together with the objects of art inside for almost 1.4 billion HUF.
Based on a bill accepted by the parliament, the Hungarian government will maintain the building and pay the employees there. Furthermore, the Turkic Council will get
tax relief on the equipment and properties of the office.
The tax exemption would not apply on the property tax, but Hungary will pay that.
No Hungarian authorities will be allowed to enter the building without the approval of its director only if there is a situation of catastrophe or fire. Authorities cannot search or seize their data, properties or equipment in case of a perquisition or judicial process.
the Turkic Council receives the same exemptions and right as the headquarters of any other international organisation in Hungary. Opposition parties said in the dispute over the bill in the parliament that the employees of the Turkic Council in Hungary are
a national security risk.
Jobbik added that the legal state of the Council’s headquarter is very similar to the Russian International Investment Bank of which many say that it is a centre of the spies of Moscow in Europe.
As we reported before, PM Viktor Orbán offered a bridgehead to Europe and the European Union for the Turkic Council this October during the 7th Turkic Council summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. Orbán noted that
Hungary’s Eximbank has opened a credit line with Turkic Council member states,
adding that 195 million euros were available for Hungarian-Turkish cooperation and 80 million euros each for Hungary’s Kazakh, Uzbek and Azeri business ties. Those with Kyrgyzstan will have a pot of 27 million euros available. He noted that trade between Hungary and the member states of the Turkic Council had doubled to 4 billion US dollars under his watch.
Further, Hungary provides more than 700 state scholarships to young people from the countries of the Turkic Council, he added. Meanwhile, Orbán told the summit that the UK would leave the EU at the end of October. He encouraged Turkic Council members to be quick to start talks with the British on new trade deals.
Members of the Turkic Council include Turkey as well as for Turkic countries Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan became a full member of the organisation at the Baku meeting.
Hungary has had observer status in the Council since 2018.
Hungary can offer the Turkic Council a bridgehead to Europe and the European Union, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Baku on Tuesday.
Addressing the 7th Turkic Council summit, Orbán said Hungary was fighting to get the enlargement and neighborhood policy portfolio in the new European Commission.
“Our chances are not bad, but it’s a tough battle,” he said. “If we succeed … then there will be close cooperation with Azerbaijan within the Eastern Partnership and [EU] membership negotiations with Turkey.”
“We will be pleased to be at your service,” he added.
Orbán noted that Hungary’s Eximbank has opened a credit line with Turkic Council member states, adding that 195 million euros was available for Hungarian-Turkish cooperation and 80 million euros each for Hungary’s Kazakh, Uzbek and Azeri business ties. Those with Kyrgyzstan will have a pot of 27 million euros available.
He noted that trade between Hungary and the member states of the Turkic Council had doubled to 4 billion US dollars under his watch. Orbán also noted the recent establishment of a European representation of the Turkic Council in Budapest.
Further, Hungary provides more than 700 state scholarships to young people from the countries of the Turkic Council, he added.
Meanwhile, Orbán told the summit that the UK would leave the EU at the end of October. He encouraged Turkic Council members to be quick to start talks with the British on new trade deals.
Members of the Turkic Council include Turkey as well as Turkic countries Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan became a full member of the organisation at the Baku meeting. Hungary has had observer status in the Council since 2018.
Trade between Hungary and the countries of the Turkic Council has doubled over the past ten years to reach four billion dollars, Foregn Minister Péter Szijjártó told public media in Baku where he attended a meeting of the council’s foreign ministers.
Hungary has opened a 577 million euro credit line with Eximbank to finance corporate cooperation between Hungary and the council members, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the minister said.
Hungarian companies in the pharmaceutical, water management, logistics and construction sectors will see new opportunities opening up in the region, he added.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Szijjártó attended a business forum and held bilateral talks with foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan, Abdulaziz Kamilov of Uzbekistan and Mukhtar Tileuberdi of Kazakhstan.
The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States or in the short version, Turkic Council, is regarded as the political framework of the Turkish world.
Turkic Council: Historical Background
The first idea of its establishment was put forward in 2006 by the former President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev who has also been described as the wise man of the Turkish World. Three years later, under auspices of Nakhchivan Agreement, it has become an official intergovernmental organization. There are four founding members signed the agreement at first sight: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. In addition to these founding members, very recently Uzbekistan made a highly noteworthy decision and became a member of the council. Besides Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Hungary are also attending the meetings with observer status. At first glance, the idea of the Turkic Council can be seen as it has rooted in the 2000s, in fact, its foundations are laid in the Summit of Turkic Speaking Countries which was held in 1992 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The participants of the Turkic Speaking Countries Summit were composed of the current members of the Turkic Council plus Turkmenistan.
The fundamental aim is to increase the cooperation and to contribute the regional and global peace and stability by bringing together the Turkish language speaking countries with a common historical and cultural heritage. Through this cooperation, a similar structure as the European Union has been tried to establish. As a matter of fact, there are similar objectives between E.U and Turkic council such as the free movement of people, goods and services. The Summit of the Turkic Speaking Countries and its evolution to the Turkish Council are considered as the cornerstones in the Turkish World.
The Turkic Council has three centers (Istanbul, Baku, Nur-Sultan) and General Secretariat is located in Istanbul. Under the Headquarters, there are various bodies and different institutions affiliated to the Council. These institutions operate to enhance its regional and global influence through public diplomacy. Most of these institutions have their foundations in the Turkish Speaking Countries Summit. Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries, the International Organization of Turkic Culture, the Turkic Academy, the Turkic Business Council, and the Turkic University Union are some of the foundations laid in this direction.
Photo: www.facebook.com/Turkic Council
The main objectives and tasks of the Turkish Council are set out in the founding treaty of Nakhchivan: “strengthening mutual confidence, friendship and good neighborhood among the Parties; maintaining peace, strengthening security and confidence in the region and in the world as a whole; search for common positions on foreign policy issues of mutual interest, including those in the framework of international organizations and at international fora; coordination of actions to combat international terrorism and separatism, extremism, trafficking in human beings, drug trafficking, as well as the assistance to international policy on control over illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; promotion of effective regional and bilateral cooperation in political, trade and economic, law enforcement, environmental, cultural, scientific-technical, military-technical, educational, energy, transportation, credit and finance areas and other areas of common interest; creation of favorable conditions for trade and investment, further simplification of customs and transit procedures aiming at facilitation of movement of goods, capital, services and technologies, and simplification of financial and banking operations; aiming for the comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint actions on the basis of equal partnership in order to steadily increase and improve the living conditions of the peoples of the Parties.”
The capacities of the member states to the Council together with observer states are of pivotal importance.
It has a population of approximately 164 million, about 1.5 trillion dollars of domestic product and very rich natural resources. Considering the geography where it is located, the potential of the Turkic Council ought not to be overlooked. The crucial capacity possessed by the official political framework of the Turkish World increases the member states’ influence both regionally and globally.
Strategic Position of the Council: Uzbekistan’s Membership
Throughout the nation-building and state-building processes followed by Uzbekistan during the post-Soviet period, the necessary importance was not attached to elements such as Turkish identity, common history and cultural heritage, common language, and religion. Despite its participation into the Turkish Speaking Countries Summit from the very beginning, the factors such as security and terrorism problems, tensions with other neighboring countries (specifically on water resources sharing), border conflicts, the policy of neutrality have been forestalled Uzbekistan’s fully integration process into the Turkish World. These are the main reasons why Uzbekistan did not join the Turkic Council as a member state in the first place.
Photo: www.facebook.com/Turkic Council
Uzbekistan shines through the other Central Asian states with its, 50 billion dollars GDP and 32 million populations. Beyond these data, the increasing industrialization and the surplus in foreign trade are among the significant indicators of the development level of the country. The export products of the country are mainly composed of machinery, automotive and derivative products followed by cotton and energy resources. The high added value and quality of the commodities within the national income and export volume opens up an opportunity for the country to pursue a relatively independent economy. The foreign trade partners and volumes show that the level of trade interactions between Uzbekistan and the other Turkic Council members are not at the expected level. On the other side, its central position in the Central Asian region gives Uzbekistan a critical role in terms of geopolitics. The location it possesses had been a significant route for the economic and cultural exchange between the East and the West. The Silk Road and Spice Trade also pass through Uzbekistan regardless of its current function. Furthermore, the country has very rich gold, natural gas, and oil resources. Moreover, the tourism potential of the city, especially of cities like Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent, increases the country’s visibility and image worldwide.
Following the presidency of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the post-2016 period, Tashkent’s economy has been significantly improving. In this context, new visa-free initiatives, development of relations with various partners, the increment of foreign investments and investors are the main reasons behind the economic advancements. After Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan began to integrate more into the global economy and politics. The momentum gained in the economic sphere has also been positively affecting its foreign policy. Tashkent started to repair previously established relations. As such, Uzbekistan-Turkey relations, the visit was accelerated in 2017, following the Mirziyoyev visit to Turkey after 20 years. Bilateral trade volume has started to increase ever since, not to mention events held on the field of common culture and history. In this vein, only last year, Turkey’s export to Uzbekistan increased by 40%. Turkey’s foreign investment in Uzbekistan reached nearly $4 billion. Besides the advancing relations with Turkey, the boosted dialogue with other Central Asian countries is also of great importance for the Turkic Council. Owing to President Mirziyoyev’s vision and enterprising foreign policy, the integration of Uzbekistan with the Turkish World will accelerate ergo the sphere of influence and comprehensiveness of the Turkic Council will be enhanced.
In sum, with the participation of Uzbekistan, the free movement of people, goods, and services of the EU model, which is among the objectives of the Turkic Council, will become even more important.
Moreover, the course of the ongoing bilateral relations between the regional countries will start to change in the upcoming days. The old crises and conflict central to Uzbekistan would be overcome and solved more easily. Eventually, it will ease the inter-conflictual Turkish World and thus the Turkic Council. If Uzbekistan under the leadership of Mirziyoyev could reflect its above-mentioned strategic importance to the Council, it would be a great leap forward for unity and solidarity as well as for the strength of the Council.
The Geopolitical Importance and The Future of The Council
With respect to Heartland Theory formulated by the father of the geopolitics, John Mackinder, ruling the Eurasian Region (World-Island) bring the domination over the world politics. The Turkic Council, composed from Central Asian countries plus Turkey, stands out as the center to the World-Island or the Eurasian Region. Therefore, the significance of the Turkic Council is very crucial in geopolitical terms. Indeed there are concrete aspects that make its geography important such as rich energy resources, crucial pipeline and trade routes, water resources, agricultural and industrial potential etc. Among the other member countries, Turkey comes forward as the pivotal country within the Council.
From the first day of the Turkish Speaking Countries Summit until today’s Turkic Council, Turkey has always had a leader and integrative position within the Turkish World and so it shall continue to be.
Among the other member states, Turkey, with about 900 billion dollars national income is regarded as the most prominent country. In addition to national income considering its military power, population capacity and spheres of influence, Turkey is the most powerful country among the Turkic Council. Notwithstanding, high dialogue pursued with international organizations and its NATO membership, attribute Turkey an identity of the global actor. Ultimately, the addition of the geographical location to all these factors, unique geopolitical importance that Turkey has in the Turkish Council crystallizes.
In addition to Turkey, membership of a strategic country like Uzbekistan, will not only the Council’s future but also the regional politics carried out. It will ease the tensions and conflicts ongoing in the region. The more integrated and powerful Turkish World will change the regional balances. Furthermore, Turkmenistan’s observer status and its active participation, will not only reduce the conflicts in the region but also increase the bilateral and multiple interactions. Together with the Hungarian office, the strength and presence of the Council will be moved beyond the regional boundaries and will make a pivotal contribution to its visibility.
The current comprehensiveness of Turkic Council so as the crucial point it reached tenders is of great importance for Turkey and the Turkish World, specifically considering the regional factors and interests. Collaboration in foreign policy, joint efforts of war on terror, cooperation on commercial and economic issues are among the main issues that bring the Turkish World together.
Although the value attributed to Turkish identity, compared to Turkey is not at the expected level in the other Central Asian countries, this situation has started to change with the help of new initiatives.
In this context, bilateral and multilateral relations need to increase further through a common language, history, religion, culture, and identity. In this way, the ties to be established over the common heritage will increase the economic and political gains as well as increase unity and solidarity. These gains will start from a regional dimension and eventually reach to a global scale. In short, thereupon the participation of new actors, Turkic Council, under the leadership of Turkey, will play a stronger and more effective role in the international arena. In addition to Uzbekistan, Hungary also attends meetings as an observer and the European Office opened in Budapest further enhances the Council’s influence. The increment comprehensives of the Council, its economic power, cooperation, and problem-solving capacity will increase its sphere of influence thus, it will reach a more strategic dimension by the day.
By Mehmet Çağatay Güler (Eurasian Analyist hold MSc degree from METU)
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Tuesday held talks with Baghdad Amreyev, Secretary General of the Turkic Council, the foreign ministry said.
In its statement, the ministry said
the Hungarian government’s opening to the East policy plays a vital role in the country’s foreign policy.
Hungary’s trade turnover with Turkey and the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus region has expanded dynamically in recent years, and more and more students from that region are applying for Hungarian scholarships, the statement said.
The Turkic Council’s chamber of commerce is ready to welcome Hungary to the organisation, just as the Turkic University Association is open to welcoming Hungarian universities, it added.
At the talks, Szijjártó said that
Hungary was ready for the Turkic Council to set up its European representative office in Budapest.
House Speaker László Kövér attended a plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TURKPA) in Izmir on Wednesday.
“Our Turkic brothers have accepted us as one of them,”
Kövér said in his address to the assembly, referring to the fact that Hungary has been an observer in TURKPA since 2014 and in the Turkic Council since September this year.
Hungarians are linked with Turkic peoples through “kinship, shared traditions, similarities in their languages, as well as historical ties”, Kövér said. He added that their geographical positions and geopolitical challenges also connect Hungary with Turkic countries.
Climate change is an increasing challenge in terms of supplying the population with food and water, while global migration and terrorism pose further challenges for both Hungary and the Turkic world, Kövér said. He also noted that the spread of the internet “not only promotes more efficient communications but has made the moral norms supporting cohesion within societies more vulnerable”. While technological development contributes to improving the quality of life it also facilitates “changing the image of man and questioning some of the most fundamental values of civilisation”, Kövér insisted.
On Tuesday, Kövér met Binali Yildirim, the Turkish house speaker, and Nurlan Nigmatulin, his Kazakh counterpart. On the sidelines of his programme on Wednesday, he held talks with Dastanbek Cumabekov, the Kyrgyz house speaker.
TURKPA was founded in 2008, by the parliamentary speakers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey.
