The Turkic factor in the heart of Europe Türkiye-Hungary: Together towards a big plan

The December 18 official visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Hungary at the invitation of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, turned out to be very eventful. In particular, 17 cooperation agreements were signed between the two nations. Interestingly, Erdogan and Orban gave each other interesting gifts. Thus, the Hungarian prime minister presented the Turkish president a horse, called Aristocrat, and in return, he received an electric car made in Türkiye from Erdogan.

“A gift from one equestrian nation to another equestrian nation: Aristocrat, a nonius stallion from the Mezohegyes stud,” Orban wrote about the gift to Erdogan on social networks, posting a photo of the Turkish president with the horse. Later, the Hungarian prime minister posted another photo, but with a new car.

Meanwhile, the current visit of the Turkish leader to Hungary will most likely be remembered as another historical recognition by Viktor Orban.

“We, Hungarians, have lost the last century. No one in Europe has lost the previous century to such an extent as we Hungarians. Our plan, Mr. President, is designed for the XXI century. We must win it, and for this, we are looking for allies. The big plan is for Turks and Hungarians to become winners together in the XXI century,” Orbán said, recalling that trade turnover between Hungary and Türkiye has reached almost $4 billion a year, and the goal is to increase it to $6 billion in the year.

“Türkiye is important for Hungary because Hungarian security is impossible without Türkiye,” Orban emphasized, voicing perhaps the most important thesis, confirming the unity of goals and common interests of Ankara and Budapest.

Today about 500 Turkish enterprises operate in Hungary, and 100 Hungarian ones in Türkiye. At the same time, in 2024, Hungary plans to begin purchasing gas produced directly in Türkiye, and in this regard, a corresponding agreement has already been reached between the Hungarian energy company MVM and the Turkish Botas.

In turn, the Turkish president emphasized the fact that thanks to the joint political declaration, bilateral relations between Türkiye and Hungary have risen from the level of strategic partnership to the level of expanded strategic partnership.

At the same time, given the friendly relations between Hungary and Türkiye, as well as personal close contacts between the leaders of both countries, it is worth noting the following important nuance. In addition to trade and economic ties, which, as a rule, play a primary role in building bilateral interstate relations, the Turkic factor is of particular importance for Hungary, as is indicated by the rapprochement of this European state with the countries of the Turkic world.

Indicative in this sense is the fact that Hungary participates in the Organization of Turkic States as an observer. Perhaps, this is a kind of message to the European Union that the EU is not the only and not the only way for Hungary, and that it can find allies, including outside the EU.

By the way, Orban is the main supporter of the theory of the Turkic origin of his nation. He calls the Hungarians “Kipchak Turks”. By the way, in August 2022, the “Great Congress of the Hunnic-Turkic Peoples” was held in Hungary, organized by the Hungarian Turan Foundation. This event is held every two years to unite peoples of Turkic origin. It is appropriate to note in this context an excerpt from the speech of President of the Council of Elders of the OTS Binali Yildirim, delivered at this congress, that in the XVI-XVII centuries, the ancestors of the Turkic and Hungarian communities lived amicably in the same territory.

“There is a special relationship between Hungary and Türkiye. The tomb of Suleiman the Magnificent is located here. Abdurrahman Pasha’s grave is located in Budin Castle,” Yildirim said.

Another interesting information was announced at the same event. Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TÜRKPA) Mehmet Süreyya Er stated that the founding leader of the Turkish Republic, the first President of Türkiye, Ataturk, in 1934, accepting the credentials of the Hungarian ambassador, said: “If these two peoples - the Turks and the Hungarians - were aware of their brotherhood, if at a certain period of history they had come together and realized their kinship, the history of Eastern Europe would have been completely different. Better late than never".

Today, watching how, in the very center of Europe, Hungary is the only country that openly demonstrates its commitment to the values of Turan, there is no doubt that Ataturk is right.