Türkiye

After Türkiye’s step the Nordic expansion of the NATO could depend on Hungary

orbán erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will soon give his country’s blessing to Finland’s NATO membership. Pressure from NATO could increase on Hungary as the parliament delay vote on NATO membership for Sweden and Finland again.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that Turkey could soon ratify Finland’s application to join NATO, index.hu reports based on the official Finnish governmental communication.

Erdogan makes important statements

Reuters also reports that Turkey’s parliament will “highly likely” ratify Finland’s NATO accession bid before mid-April. Reuters attributed this information to two Turkish officials.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto is set to meet with Erdogan on Friday. The Turkish president pledges to ratify Finnland’s application to NATO.

“We will do our part, we will keep our promise. We will meet with the president on Friday and fulfil the promise we made” – Erdogan is quoted by index.hu.

Hungarian parliament delays vote on Finland, Sweden again

This means that Hungary will remain the only NATO member country that hasn’t yet approved the two Nordic countries’ bids to join the Western military alliance.

In the latest installment of the saga surrounding the long-delayed vote dating back to July 2022, a parliamentary session was set to start on 20 March, during which lawmakers were expected to vote on the two Nordic countries joining NATO. However, according to hvg.hu, due to the request of Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, the session will be postponed by a week.

Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky told index that in recent years, Hungary has been the target of regrettably untrue and false accusations from politicians from both countries.

“Hungary deserves more respect, so we would like the ratification process to be completed so that in the future we can engage in political dialogue as partners and allies who trust each other” – the defence minister is quoted by index.hu.

orbán kiskőrös 15 march national day speech
Read alsoOrbán: Petőfi would turn against those who want to put Hungarians into a European superstate

Using NATO as a bargaining tactic?

So far the Hungarian government has maintained its position that the issue of NATO enlargement is not linked to any negotiations with the European Commission and the alleged breaches of the EU’s rule-of-law requirements. This dispute means that the EU Commission withholds 65 percent of the regional funds from Hungary, which amounts to EUR 7.5 billion.

However, it looks like the Hungarian government could have used the NATO enlargement issue as a bargaining tool with the EU Commission. Hvg.hu presented a leaked letter from Zsolt Semjén, in which he explains the postponement of the vote by saying that the “ongoing negotiations with the European Commission” have not yet been concluded.

Hungary will veto Sweden’s NATO bid with Türkiye?

Viktor Orbán President Erdogan

The United States welcomes the progress made by Türkiye in the ratification of Finland’s NATO accession bid while urges Hungary to conclude its ratification process for both Finland and Sweden without delay, a statement by the National Security Advisor at the White House said on Friday.

The statement by Jake Sullivan welcomed “President Erdogan’s announcement that he will send Finland’s NATO accession protocols to the Turkish Parliament” and encouraged Türkiye “to quickly ratify Sweden’s accession protocols as well”.

“In addition, we urge Hungary to conclude its ratification process for both Finland and Sweden without delay,” the statement released by the White House said. “Sweden and Finland are both strong, capable partners that share NATO’s values and will strengthen the Alliance and contribute to European security. The United States believes that both countries should become members of NATO as soon as possible,” it said.

Máté Kocsis, the parliamentary group leader of Fidesz, Orbán’s bigger governing party, said that Hungary would decide about Finland’s accession in March. However, he postponed the similar decision concerning Sweden. PM Viktor Orbán met with President Erdogan yesterday, during which the Turkish leader called him his friend. According to official statements, the two leaders talked about energy issues, but it is unimaginable that they did not touch the NATO accession of the two Nordic countries.

“We want peace” – Orbán says under his photo with Erdogan:

Unclear when and whether Hungary will support Sweden’s NATO bid

NATO EU Viktor Orbán military kickout

The parliamentary group of ruling Fidesz will support the ratification of Finland’s NATO accession bid at a vote set in the national assembly for March 27, while it will make a decision in connection with Sweden at a later time, the leader of the group said on Friday.

“I am informing you on behalf of the Fidesz group that we have made a decision to support Finland’s NATO accession,” Mate Kocsis said on Facebook. “We will move the relevant vote in parliament to an earlier date, to March 27, and will unanimously support Finland’s bid. As regards Sweden, our group will make a decision later.”

Kocsis in his post reminded “domestic and international players” that the Hungarian parliament was “a sovereign body” beholden only to Hungarian voters. “We therefore do not accept any kind of pressure exerted either from abroad, or by Hungarian left-wing politicians working on foreign orders, by NGOs, or by any media outlet regarding when, at what pace and what matters parliament should discuss, and on which day it should hold a vote on those,” Kocsis said.

He said the greater the pressure was to have a decision made quickly, the more thorough consideration was required.

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Read alsoHungarian expert: U.S. fed up with Hungary’s shuttle diplomacy

This is what Erdogan and Orbán discussed about

Orbán Erdogan

Talks between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara focused on the war in Ukraine and energy security issues, the PM’s press chief said on Thursday.

In the statement, Bertalan Havasi said Hungary and Turkiye, as neighbours of Ukraine, had an interest in “a just peace” reached through diplomatic means as quickly as possible. “Drifting into war and its escalation must be avoided,” the statement quoting the two leaders said.

President Erdogan thanked Hungary for the solidarity it showed in the aftermath of the earthquake in Turkiye and for its “enormous help”, especially the “heroic” efforts of Hungarian search and rescue teams.

Orbán asked Erdogan to ensure that Turkiye continues to be a reliable partner in the delivery of natural gas from the east, which is crucial for Hungarian energy security.

Orbán Viktor
Read alsoPM Orbán: Europe is suffering from war psychosis

PM Orbán: Europe is suffering from war psychosis

Orbán Viktor

The voice of peace should be at least as loud as that of war, and it should be made clear that the global majority wants peace, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Ankara on Thursday.

Speaking at the summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), Orbán said Europe was “suffering from war psychosis”, and was being drawn into the war in Ukraine.

He thanked Turkic leaders for “strengthening the voice of peace”.

The prime minister also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his successful mediation between the warring parties so far, and asked him to continue his efforts.

“This is the only way there can be a chance for peace,” he said.

Orbán also thanked Erdogan for Hungarian-Turkish coordination within NATO.

The war is the number-one issue in Europe today, which puts Hungary in a difficult situation, Orbán said. Because Ukraine is a neighbouring country, the effects of the war on Hungary are “severe and direct”, he said, noting high inflation and record energy prices.

Many Hungarians have died in the war as well, given that ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine are also being conscripted into the army, Orbán said.

orbán kiskőrös 15 march national day speech
Read alsoOrbán: Petőfi would turn against those who want to put Hungarians into a European superstate

Saving lives is the priority for Hungary, and so it is promoteing a ceasefire and peace talks, he added.

At the same time, the prime minister said there was “more than a war” going on in Europe, arguing that the whole of the continent’s power dynamics were being “restructured”, which would also impact the Turkic world.

Hungary, he added, also sees a danger of the re-emergence of global economic blocs. This goes against Hungary’s interests, as the country sees its future in collectiveness and connections, Orbán said.

Turkic states can play a key role in this, he said, arguing that European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries, linked by mutual respect, could set an example to the rest of the world.

Hungary is in favour of a new phase in economic, trade and energy links with the Turkic states, Orbán said. It wants to participate in the Turkic investment fund as soon as possible, he said, adding that the necessary finances were available.

Orbán expressed his condolences on Hungary’s behalf over the devastating earthquake that hit Turkiye last month, praising the courageous efforts of rescue workers. Hungary also sent search and rescue teams to the earthquake-hit areas in the first days after the disaster, who managed to save many people, he added.

He noted that Hungary on Thursday delivered 100 tonnes of hospital equipment to Turkiye’s disaster management authority, adding that Turkiye could also count on Hungary when it came to the reconstruction efforts.

Orbán said that seeing the development Turkiye had gone through over the last 23 years and the “fantastic progress” it had made over the last decade under Erdogan’s leadership, he was certain that the reconstruction would be successful.

On the occasion of Hungary’s recent March 15 national holiday, Orbán noted that after the Germans and Russians crushed the revolution of 1848, hundreds of army officers, scientists and politicians fled to Turkiye where they were welcomed.

Orbán Viktor
Read alsoPM Orbán meets Uzbek President

Hungary sends medical supplies to Turkiye

Turkiye Aid

Hungary has delivered another 105 tonnes of medical supplies to Turkiye, to help the treatment of those injured in the earthquake in February, the foreign minister said in Ankara on Thursday.

Speaking at the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), Péter Szijjártó expressed his sympathies to Turkiye over the earthquakes on February 6, which killed over 50,000 people in southeast Turkiye and Syria.

In the first stage of the rescue efforts, Hungary sent 167 rescue troops and 29 dogs who saved 35 lives, the ministry cited Szijjártó as saying.

Later, Hungary delivered 1,500kg of medicine in an effort to relieve the Turkish healthcare system after the disaster. The latest delivery contained 105 tonnes of health-care and medical equipment, including “ventilators, bandages, IV equipment and medicine, assembled after consultation with Turkish authorities,” he said.

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Successful rescue efforts require international cooperation. Hungary supports an agreement on coordinating disaster management in OTS states, and is ready to take an active part in the work, he said.

Szijjártó thanked OTS states for standing up for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. “It is important that as many of us as possible speak the language of peace, because a pro-war rhetoric is reigning in Europe … and we who want peace need to strengthen our efforts,” he said, noting that the majority of countries in the world want peace.

Hungary believes in cooperation based on mutual respect, as opposed to “a world tendency to create separate blocks in response to the war”, he said.

The country is therefore ready to participate in the Turkic Investment Fund, “a good example of such a cooperation”, which would also bring economic and trade relations with OTS countries to another level, he said.

The Fund “can also generate resources to the regional infrastructure developments necessary to ensure Hungarian energy security,” he said. Hungary’s energy supplies cannot be diversified without cooperation with the Turkic states, he said.

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Budapest will become the only EU hub from where you can travel to Russia

Budapest Airport passengers

After Putin invaded Ukraine, all EU countries cancelled all flights to and from Russia as part of the sanctions policy they introduced against the Kremlin. However, it seems a loophole will be opened in that system. And the key city in the new scheme will be Budapest.

Budapest will become the main EU transport hub to Russia?

According to telex.hu, it is not by chance that Air Serbia, Serbia’s national airline owned partly by the Serbian state and Etihad (United Arab Emirates), reestablished a connection between Budapest and Belgrade. The first aircraft is scheduled to take off in the Serbian capital on 13 March to Budapest, as we wrote in THIS article.

Furthermore, Air Serbia not only relaunches that flight, but will expand it to 17 per week in no time. Is there such an astonishingly high demand for travel between the two capitals otherwise connected by a not too crowded motorway? Probably not. Telex.hu at least has another solution.

Serbia did not join the EU sanctions against Russia. Therefore, their planes still commute between four Russian airports, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, and Belgrade. Not many airlines can do so. Their only competitor in the market is Turkish Airlines, operating flights to 36 Russian destinations. As a result, Istanbul and Belgrade became the main transport hubs of Russian tourists to Europe and foreign tourists and visitors to Russia.

Serbia, Türkiye dominating the market

And that is where Budapest Airport and Hungary may come into view. Telex believes that the reason behing the high number of Budapest-Belgrade flights is that they would like to open a window to Russia from the European Union. Air Serbia promoted its restart in the Hungarian capital with destinations like New York, Chicago, some popular Mediterranean holiday spots and some Chinese cities. They will be reachable for Hungarian travellers if they transfer in Belgrade.

However, in those relations, the Serbian airline has multiple competitors. Most are in a better position on the market than Air Serbia. Thus, Telex believes the reason might be creating an EU travel hub towards Russia in Budapest. As a result, EU citizens, including Hungarians, could travel to Russia from an EU country without any problems. Furthermore, Russian tourists could travel to Hungary, one of their favourite holiday destinations, with Air Serbia.

Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines have become Europe’s market leaders concerning Russian flights. Russia’s airlines cannot enter the airspace of most neighbouring countries. As a result, they cannot serve their citizens to travel to Hungary or anywhere else in the European Union. However, if they change flights in Belgrade, they may come to Hungary with just a one-hour-long additional flight and spend some time in their favourite baths. For example, in Hévíz.

Big concert to be held in Budapest to support earthquake victims

concert-crowd-people-joy-summer

A big concert will be held to support victims of the Türkiye-Syria earthquake on March 22 at the Hungarian Heritage House in Budapest, where well-known performers of world music, early music and other genres will play, the Hungarian Interchurch Aid said on Thursday.

Performers at the concert will include the Kaláka, Sebő, Misztrál, Vujicsics and Musica Historica bands, Andás Berecz, Mária Petrás, and Márta Sebestyén, among others.

More than a month after the disaster, staff of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid are still working in Hatay, the Turkish province worst affected by the earthquake. Surveys by the Hungarian charity and their international partner organisations show that the need for help is still enormous, with more than a million people still living in emergency accommodation.

  • Read also:

Here is their Facebook post:

Humanitarian help arrives to Türkiye thanks to the Hungarian Interchurch Aid:

Hungary sends further aid to earthquake-hit Türkiye

Türkiye

Hungary has sent 10 tonnes of aid to southeast Türkiye to help with the medical treatment and temporary housing of people hit by earthquakes earlier this month, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a joint press conference held with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Ankara on Monday.

A series of quakes rocked southeast Türkiye and northern Syria on February 6, killing more than 50,000 people.

Hungary rushed to the aid of the “brotherly nation” right after the disaster “when the focus was on saving lives”, Szijjártó said. It sent 167 rescue experts and 29 dogs who found 35 survivors, he said.

To support the people who lost their homes in the disaster, Hungary is now sending a military aircraft with “1.5 tonnes of medicine, 500 camp beds, 1,500 blankets, 6,000 sleeping bags and 2,000 pieces of IV equipment” to help Türkiye ‘s government in housing and protecting people from the winter, he said.

Hungary and Türkiye are also in talks on delivery of medical equipment that may be needed if the demand for hospital treatment grows, he said. “Hungary is ready to send the new package as soon as the Turkish authorities have listed the equipment needed,” he said.

“Hungary is a friend of Türkiye ‘s. It is only natural that we stand by our friends in hardship, and will continue to provide all aid in our power to help the Turkish people’s life to get back on track as soon as possible,” he said.

As an example of the strategic partnership between the two countries, Szijjártó said Hungarian energy security would be “an unrealistic expectation” without Türkiye , where the TurkStream pipeline is currently supplying the “majority of Hungarian demand in natural gas”. Future plans for energy diversification, involving imports from Azerbaijan, would also be impossible without Türkiye , and talks are under way on purchases form Turkish distributors, he said.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, Hungary and Türkiye ‘s governments will continue to be vocal proponents of peace, Szijjártó said.

“This is a critical issue for us, neighbours of Ukraine,” he said. Türkiye ‘s call for peace is “greatly appreciated as we Hungarians have a vested interest in a speedy end to the war, which is the only way to save lives,” he said.

Hungary wants an immediate ceasefire and peace talks, an undertaking that is far from hopeless, as proven by the talks on the restart of Ukrainian grain deliveries last year in which Ankara played a primary role, he said.

Hungarians saved lives in Türkiye
Read alsoPHOTOS: Hungarians saved more than 30 lives in Türkiye

PHOTO: President meets rescuers participating in Türkiye post-quake operations

Hungary rescue team Türkiye

President Katalin Novák has received members of the Hungarian teams that participated in rescue operations in Turkiye and Syria shaken by last week’s devastating earthquakes.

At a ceremony held at the presidential palace Novák called her guests heroes and thanked them for “being there and helping after the tragedy, saving lives day and night”. Novák noted that Hungary had been among the first countries to volunteer when Türkiye asked the international community for help, thanks to the readiness of its rescue teams.

“It is good to say that Hungary and its people can be relied on in trouble; we can be proud that Hungarians started the fight the minute after the tragedy happened to save lives,” she said. “It is good to know that at such times divisions are not in the focus; all of us pray and keep our fingers crossed together for the rescue teams to return unharmed.”

Katalin Novák and the members of the rescue teams:

Gulsen Karanis Eksioglu, Türkiye’s ambassador to Hungary, thanked the teams and said February 6, the day of the earthquake, would be “a very important day in the history of Turkish-Hungarian brotherhood”. He noted that 167 Hungarian volunteers had gone to Türkiye and saved 35 lives, “giving back hope and a miracle for 35 families”. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the rescue teams of Hungary’s disaster management, the Reformed and Baptist charities, Pest County, Budapest, and the Életjel team.

József Kulcsár and his dog, Lendon, worked in the Reformed charity and rescued several lives. Their team saved six lives in Türkiye, two of them on the seventh day after the earthquake, a military officer and his wife. Surviving that long beneath the rubble was a wonder, they believe.

Mr Kulcsár talked about his experiences with Pesti Srácok. He said the most difficult was to tell the relatives and friends that their loved ones could not make it. Once, for example, he and his dog found the corpses of a mother and her four children.

Few know that the members of the Hungarian rescue teams, including Mr Kulcsár, are not employees who receive a regular salary for their work. Instead, they are volunteers who train their dogs using their and their families financial resources. Mr Kulcsár regularly takes part in such rescues both in Hungary and abroad.

First, he wanted his dog, Lendon, to serve in special police operations. 2014 was the turning point in their lives. A boy disappeared in Ajka and died because he was found too late. He created a foundation and cooperates with multiple charities, including the Reformed charity. He and Lendon worked 10-12 hours each day in Türkiye to find as many survivors as possible.

HERE you can check out their work, while you can send donations for them here: 10400810 – 50526753 – 57801000

The Hungarian rescue teams saved almost 40 lives.

hungarian baptist charity
Read alsoPHOTOS: Hungarian rescue team returns home from Türkiye

Wizz Air closes flights from Budapest, Debrecen

Wizz Air plane flight

The Hungarian low-cost airline, Wizz Air, is to close two flights from Hungary, one departing from Budapest, while the other from the Debrecen International Airport. Furthermore, the latter is a well-functioning holiday flight.

Göteborg and Mallorca out

Okosutas.hu, a Hungarian travel news website, found out that Wizz Air is to close two Hungarian flights soon. The first one departs from Budapest and lands in Göteborg, Sweden. The company closed that route among the firsts when the COVID pandemic started in March 2020. Moreover, Wizz Air reopened it among the last ones in 2021. However, it seems that the flight’s utilisation remained low.

In January and February, Wizz Air did not fly between the Hungarian capital and the Swedish city. However, days earlier, spring flights also disappeared from the airline’s booking system. The last flight took off in mid-January. But people aiming to travel from Budapest to Göteborg with a budget airline can choose Ryanair.

The other cancelled flight of Wizz Air is much more painful, okosutas.hu believes. The moment the airline started its flight from Debrecen to Antalya, Türkiye, they dropped their regular one to Mallorca, Spain. You can still reach the jaw-dropping destination on the Balearic Islands from Budapest by Wizz Air and Ryanair. However, the route is expensive from the capital, while from Debrecen it was considerably cheaper. And you can travel to Debrecen from Budapest in only two hours by train.

Wizz Air more expensive than Ryanair

Hvg360, the paid version of the famous Hungarian online and offline news outlet, HVG, compared Ryanair and Wizz Air, considering multiple factors. Since the content is available only to subscribers, we cannot share the factors why an airline can sell cheaper tickets, whether the plane number or the type is more important regarding profitability. The article also details why Ryanair and Wizz Air claim they are market leaders in Hungary and gives answers on whether Wizz Air will be bought or will acquire other airlines.

However, the following information is accessible. First, there are more differences between the two companies than one might think at first glance. Secondly, as Gábor Bukta, a shares analyst of Concorde, explained, Wizz Air suffered a considerable disadvantage due to an erratic decision of its management during the COVID pandemic. As a result, the Hungarian low-cost airline bought fuel for a much higher price than their Irish competitor. That is why Michael O’Leary, the CEO of the latter, said at his Budapest press conference that the operation of Wizz Air was more costly than that of Ryanair.

The balance will be reestablished this spring, Mr Bukta added. Afterwards, only two factors will matter in their contest: the utilisation rate of their planes and the profitability of the operation scheme.

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PHOTOS: Hungarians saved more than 30 lives in Türkiye

Hungarians saved lives in Türkiye

Europe must provide help and assistance in every form to earthquake-hit Turkiye and Syria without delay, an MEP of ruling Fidesz said on Tuesday, adding that those countries can count on Hungary’s continued help.

Hungary was among the first to send rescue teams and provide medical assistance to affected regions, Kinga Gál said in a statement. The Hungarian teams with a staff of 167 and 29 search dogs have saved more than 30 survivors in Türkiye, she said. She noted that Hungary was the only country in Europe also providing help in Syria. The Hungarian Maltese Charity has set up mobile clinics in that country with support of the government’s Hungary Helps aid programme, the MEP said.

Meanwhile, the Maltese Charity announced on Tuesday that it is sending 14 tonnes of aid containing durable food, hygienic supplies, blankets, warm clothes and medical equipment to Turkiye’s Hatay region. Their four-member team is also travelling to Turkiye to help preparations for a long-term reconstruction programme.

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PHOTOS: Hungarian rescue team returns home from Türkiye

hungarian baptist charity

The rescue team of the Hungarian Baptist Charity returned from south-east Türkiye, hit by a devastating earthquake, on Sunday morning.

The 18-member team helped by 8 search dogs rescued seven people from under the ruins of buildings that collapsed in Antakya, László Pavelcze, the leader of the team, told reporters. Two of the people were in life-threatening condition, he said.

Béla Szilágyi, the leader of the Baptist Charity, said rescue teams have to work at the site marked for them by the UN amid rough conditions of sub-zero temperatures, lack of electricity and water supplies and continued aftershocks. The charity has so far provided HUF 10 million (EUR 26,000) in assistance to help those in need and will send a consignment of aid to Syria on Monday.

türkiye earthquake
Read alsoHow a Hungarian mother rescued her four young children at the scene of the earthquake

How a Hungarian mother rescued her four young children at the scene of the earthquake

türkiye earthquake

Lives were lost, livelihoods were torn apart after the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria. The death toll surpassed 20,000 and it continues to rise. Human reason cannot imagine anything more horrific, survivors and helpers report. Some Hungarians are also affected. This is the tragic story of a woman and her four children.

Ildikó and her 4 children survived the catastrophe

A Hungarian mother and her four children have experienced hell at the site of the earthquake in Türkiye. The family lost everything, and they say they owe it to “divine luck” that they survived at all. Days after the tragedy, they are still reeling from the events and fearing further earthquakes, 24.hu writes.

The family is in one of the worst affected areas, Adıyaman province. All the infrastructure has been destroyed and they have no means of escape. 24.hu was able to contact them indirectly through the sister of the distressed mother.

Ildikó moved to Gölbaşı from Germany just three months ago with her four children and her Turkish-born husband. “According to my sister, when they went home the night before the earthquake, the sky was strangely overcast and the smell outside was different from what it usually was, which was not a big deal at the time,” Enikő, the woman’s sister, told 24.hu.

The buildings collapsed like houses of cards

The earthquake occurred in the early hours of the morning local time when veryone was asleep. At first, Ildikó thought that a plane had crashed into the building. However, she didn’t have much time to think about it. Seconds later, the walls started to collapse and they and the beds toppled over. Everyone was screaming and shouting, they had great difficulty getting to the exit on all fours, which by then had almost completely collapsed.

There was a small hole in it, and the mother threw her children out through it. She said she didn’t know how she had the strength to do it. Her husband was not with them, as he had just returned to Germany to collect the personal belongings left over from the move. So, she had to act alone.

After they struggled to get out of the house, which was falling apart over their heads, she laid her children on top of each other and then lay down on top of them, protecting them. The ground shook, the buildings collapsing around them like a house of cards. At that moment, they all thought they were going to die. If Ildikó hadn’t had such a presence of mind, they probably wouldn’t have survived the disaster, 24.hu writes.

Ildikó and her four children have been moved to a nearby mountain shelter, where there are 12 of them in total. On Monday afternoon, when the second major earthquake hit the area in 12 hours, they all ran out of the building in a panic. They survived that too, thankfully.

They cannot keep in touch properly

The rest of the family could not be contacted until Monday afternoon, almost half a day after the news of the earthquake broke. Until then, her husband and other family members living in Hungary could only hope for their safety as the death toll continued to rise.

“I can’t sleep either, I’m constantly checking the Turkish pages to see what’s happening. We are trying to keep in touch with my sister, but it is terribly difficult. Not only because of the power cuts, but also because only the WhatsApp service is working, and it is also intermittent. Sometimes she can’t reply to my messages for hours, which is worrying. It is terrible that we are helpless at home. We are just waiting and praying that somehow they will survive all this and be able to come out of there,” Enikő said.

They are scared to death

The Hungarian consulate is reportedly organising their evacuation from the area, but the city is inaccessible for the time being. This means that even Ildikó’s husband cannot go there. She was only able to take a few personal belongings and some food from their previous home. Virtually everything they had was lost.

“This catastrophe is incomprehensible, the spectacle is unbearable,”

Ildikó said.

As the days go by, Ildikó is losing her strength, she is mentally shaken by what has happened. According to her sister, she has constant panic attacks, but tries to stay strong in front of the little children. Even during the day on Wednesday, she called home in tears, saying that they were terrified and scared to death. They do not know what tomorrow holds.

Asked how Hungarians could possibly help the family, Enikő said, “anyone who can, pray for them.”

Baptista Turkey
Read alsoHungarian rescuers save 27 survivors from earthquake rubble in Türkiye

VIDEO: Hungarian mother and her 5-year-old stuck in the earthquake-hit zone

Hungarian woman Türkiye cannot get home

A Hungarian woman living in Türkiye talked about her experience to TV2’s Tények news magazine. She lives in a temporary home with her 5-year-old daughter. She added they heat snow to get drinkable water. There is no fuel because oil deliverers cannot approach the fuel station on the useless roads.

She desperately tries to get home to Hungary with her daughter, ripost.hu wrote. Since they used all their money for living in the last few days, they ran out of financial resources. The stress makes Dominika Kovács sick. For example, she regularly vomits, the news magazine added.

They cannot get out because of the lack of fuel. A small airport serves the city, but all tickets are booked. They could only have bought a ticket for a flight departing days later.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian rescue teams work 24/7 to save as many people as possible in Türkiye. For example, they dug an 8 metres long cave to reach a 17-year-old Turkish girl, nlc.hu said. Here is a video:

By this morning, the number of deaths reached more than 24 thousand in Türkiye and Syria.

Hungarian President expresses sympathy to Syrian victims of earthquake

President Katalin Novák expressed her sympathy on Friday to the Syrian families of the victims of this week’s earthquake. In a bilingual Facebook post, she said the death toll from the tragic earthquake already exceeded 20,000.

“I have assured the Turkish President as well as the leaders of the Syrian churches of the sympathies of Hungarians,” she said. “The Hungarian rescue teams have already saved many lives, I thank them for their sacrificial work!”, she added. Novák also said that she prayed for the injured and the families of the victims. Here is the photo she shared:

Hungary rescue team HUNOR
Read alsoPHOTOS, VIDEO: Hungarian rescue team in Türkiye already saved many lives and work 24/7

Hungarian people’s report on the earthquake in Syria and Türkiye

Türkiye earthquake

As part of the Hungarian Maltese Charity’s hospital program, mobile medical clinics arrived in Syria in 2018 and now they are needed more than ever. Tens of thousands of people are affected by the earthquake in Syria and Türkiye and the Hungarian team is doing its best to help the injured. 

There are no international research teams in Syria

Dániel Solymári, head of the international programs of the charity service, spoke to hvg.hu about the current situation.

The Maltese Charity Service has been working here for more than a decade. They have a residence permit and can work. However, partly due to international sanctions and partly due to entry restrictions, there are no international research groups in Syria. The fact that local organisations of the Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State are still active in the country makes it difficult to travel. Thus, you can take detours and many military crossings. However, the devices must be delivered from the warehouses to the damage sites, says Dániel Solymári. In Aleppo, the Lebanese army has men, and the local charitable organisations, the Red Crescent, also have a relatively significant number of employees working there. However, the capacities of the local disaster management are so limited that there are not really any mechanised tools or uniform, expert coordination.

The Hungarian team provides additional health services

The presence of the Charity Service is not primarily related to search and research work. Rather, it provides additional health services.

“We are present in Latakia and Aleppo with mobile medical devices, which means ambulances and mobile containers, where we can also perform minor surgical interventions. In addition, we operate humanitarian hotspots where we provide food, drink and medical hygiene items in tents to those who have lost their homes or do not dare to go back to their former homes. We, the staff of the Charity Service, are helping to launch the two mobile medical locations this week,” says Dániel Solymári.

60,000 people were killed or injured in Aleppo alone, and 35-40,000 in Latakia

According to the Hungarian charity worker, the numbers circulating in the press are certainly very far from reality. According to his information, 60,000 people in Aleppo alone and 35,000 to 40,000 in Latakia were affected in some way. The injuries are typically traumatic injuries caused by collapsed buildings and walls falling on people, but the treatment of psychosomatic and other mental health symptoms is also very important. That is why they provide general emergency care.

A Hungarian mother’s story

Dominika Kovács, a Hungarian mother with a young child, experienced the earthquake in Türkiye. The woman has been living in the country for two years,10 kilometers from Malatya, which was almost in the middle of the earthquake, writes Blikk. The Hungarian woman and her family were lucky to live in a relatively small, two-story house. However, now they do not have any money, the power supply fluctuates, there is no running water. “Now all we want is to get home to Hungary with my little girl”, says the mother.

Hungary military sacking officers
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Hungarian rescuers save 27 survivors from earthquake rubble in Türkiye

Baptista Turkey

Hungarian rescue units have saved 27 survivors and found dozens of dead in the rubble in the Hatay region in southern Türkiye, which was devastated by an earthquake on Monday, Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, told a regular press conference on Thursday.

Gulyás expressed his sympathies over the victims of the earthquake which killed at least 15,000 people in Türkiye and Syria.

Hungary’s embassy is in contact with all 16 Hungarian citizens in the region, and all are well, he said.

Since Wednesday evening, a total of 156 people and 26 dogs have been working in Hungarian missions on the Turkish area of the disaster, he added.

From Hungary, the National Disaster Management Authority (OKF), the Eletjel rescue mission, the Baptist Charity, the HUBA Rescue24 organisation of firemen and rescue teams, the charity of the Hungarian Reformed Church and the Pest County Rescue Mission were the first to arrive. OKF’s volunteer rescue organisation has 31 people and six dogs on the scene since Wednesday, and an 18-strong unit of counter-terrorism centre TEK joined the efforts on Thursday, he added.

Hungary rescue team HUNOR
Read alsoPHOTOS, VIDEO: Hungarian rescue team in Türkiye already saved many lives and work 24/7

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Hungarian rescue team in Türkiye already saved many lives and work 24/7

Hungary rescue team HUNOR

Hungarian rescue units have saved 21 survivors, five children among them, in Türkiye in two days after an earthquake killed over 5,000 people in Türkiye and Syria, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday.

With two further units arriving in the Hatay region in southeast Türkiye on Wednesday, there are now seven units, 156 Hungarians working with 28 dogs to rescue people from the rubble, Szijjártó said. Rescue efforts are now in a critical stage, some 60 hours after the earthquake, he said, and thanked the rescue missions for their work.

Hungarian charities offer aid, launch donation drives

Several Hungarian charities have offered aid and launched online donation drives to help survivors and families in earthquake-hit Turkiye and Syria, they said on Wednesday. The Hungarian Reformed Church Charity said it is providing emergency shelters and supplies to people in need. The Hungarian Red Cross said it is collecting donations in line with requests received from partner organisations the Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

This is how Türkiye hails the efforts of the HUNOR team:

The Hungarian Maltese Charity said it is setting up its first mobile clinic in Syria in the city of Latakia, as well as a hotspot providing food, drink, and toiletries to residents of the earthquake-hit area. The charity said in a statement that many Syrians in the area had spent a chilly night in cars for fear of further tremors. It is working together with its local partner, the Greek Catholic Church, to rescue survivors beneath the rubble.

Here are som photos from Syria:

And a video:

According to its statement, Syria has not received as many international rescue teams as Turkiye, because the country is under sanctions and entry is difficult. Electricity and fuel supplies were erratic even before the disaster, while some areas are controlled by armed organisations, making travel difficult, it added. The Hungarian Ecumenical Charity said it is sending aid containing food, hygiene supplies and blankets to the Aleppo region while providing accommodation to families in need.

The Hungarian Islam Community is collecting winter clothing and cash donations and it will transfer these to its Turkish partner organisation Sadakatesi Dernegi. Tristan Azbej, the foreign ministry’s state secretary in charge of persecuted Christians, said the government is supporting Hungarian rescue teams working in Turkiye through its Hungary Helps humanitarian aid programme.

Hungary helps in Syria in photos:

Three members of the Kutyák Határok Nélkül (Dogs without borders) team, dr Zsuzsanna Löcher, doctor /dog handler, with her malinois Scotty, Ágnes  Kiss with her beauceron named Dáma, and Erzsébet Kröpfl with her beauceron Solka, await their departure to earthquake-stricken Turkey as part of the HUBA Rescue24 Special Rescue Team at the Liszt Ferenc International Airport. They are also part of the rescue team HUNOR:

Hungarian mobile clinics arrive in Syria’s earthquake-hit area

The three mobile clinics for which the Hungarian government earmarked 50 million forints (EUR 127,000) for the Hungarian Maltese Charity have arrived in the area of Syria hit hardest by the earthquake earlier this week, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.

The two smaller and one complex medical unit will be used to treat around 5,000 people in the city of Latakia over the coming weeks, Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook. Meanwhile, Szijjártó said the Syrian-Hungarian rescue team pulled four people from the rubble on Wednesday. The team will be working in Aleppo in the coming days, where some 60,000 people have been affected by the disaster, he added. The minister, who is on his way to Tashkent, thanked the rescue teams for their efforts.