Hungary’s ties to Turkic world at a glance

A summit on culture, higher education, and innovation held in Budapest on April 30 marks the latest chapter in Hungary’s deepening engagement with the Turkic world. The event brought together high-level representatives, including Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Saadat Yusifova, and the Secretary General of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), where Hungary holds observer status. While Hungary might seem like an outlier among European nations—linguistically and culturally—it shares longstanding historical and cultural affinities with Turkic peoples.

In one of their featured articles, TRT World examines the historic bonds between Hungary and the Turkic world that increasingly shape Budapest’s foreign policy—surprising to some, given the geographical and cultural distance often assumed between them.

Geographically rooted in Central Europe, Hungary borders the Balkan region and is predominantly Catholic. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has become a member of the European Union, aligning with many of its Eastern and Central European neighbours. Yet Hungary distinguishes itself from other European nations: unlike the predominantly Slavic, Germanic, or Romance-language groups that dominate the region, Hungarians speak a language with unique features, sharing notable similarities with Turkic tongues.

While academic debates persist over the linguistic classification of Hungarian, some argue that politics has influenced these disputes. Nonetheless, cultural and historical connections to Turkic peoples run deep, and Hungary’s official involvement with the OTS—facilitated under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s leadership since 2014—has made these links more visible on the world stage.

In a 2018 meeting of the Turkic Council (now the Organisation of Turkic States), Orbán described Hungarians as “descendants of Attila,” claiming Turkic-Hun origins. He even declared Hungarians to be “Kipchak Turks,” embracing an identity often dismissed in Western Europe as myth or exaggeration.

Linguistic clues bolster the historical connection: Hungary’s first king, Árpád—whose name means "barley" and closely resembles the Turkish word arpa—is traditionally believed to be a descendant of Attila the Hun. According to the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Árpád and his people were identified as Turkic, with their state referred to as "Western Tourkia," distinguishing it from the Turkic Khazar khanate in the east.

Although scholarly consensus on the exact origins of the Huns and Attila remains elusive, many sources align them more closely with Turkic than with Indo-European cultures. Genetic studies of modern Hungarians also show notable Central Asian lineage, reinforcing these historical narratives.

Ironically, despite cultural ties, Hungary once clashed violently with the Turkic Ottomans in centuries of warfare during the 14th to 16th centuries. Yet this, too, aligns with Turkic history—Ottoman forces frequently battled fellow Turkic states like the Timurids, Aq Qoyunlu and later Safavids that were present in modern-day Azerbaijan and Iran, highlighting that ethnic and linguistic kinship did not prevent conflict.

For Hungarian intellectuals, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries, reclaiming Turkic identity became a counterpoint to Slavic and Germanic dominance in the region. One of the most vocal advocates was Ármin Vámbéry, a Jewish-Hungarian scholar and noted Turkologist. Vámbéry was a leading proponent of Turanism—a pan-Turkic cultural and political movement—and believed in the deep linguistic and cultural connection between Hungarians and Turkic peoples.

Vámbéry’s ideas preceded the rise of modern Turkic nationalism, even influencing thinkers before the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Hungary, in fact, developed Turkology studies earlier than many Turkic nations, including the Ottoman Empire.

Decades after Vámbéry’s death, the seeds of his ideas appear to have taken root. Under Orbán’s leadership, Hungary has hosted several "Great Kurultaj" gatherings—traditional assemblies of Turkic nomadic peoples. First held in Kazakhstan in 2007, the event has since become a recurring celebration in the Hungarian city of Bugac. By 2015, it had grown significantly, supported by Türkiye’s TIKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency) and organized by Hungary’s Turan Foundation.

Despite political controversy surrounding some elements of modern Hungarian Turanism, the movement has gained momentum. It now holds sway in certain political circles and continues to influence Hungary’s foreign outreach.

What may appear to outsiders as an unlikely alliance is, in fact, rooted in centuries of shared heritage—one that Hungary is increasingly placing at the heart of its diplomatic identity.

By Nazrin Sadigova