Top diplomats convene in Budapest to shape future of Turkic cooperation

Foreign ministers of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) gathered in Budapest ahead of the bloc’s informal summit of heads of state, hosted in the Hungarian capital.

Hungary, which holds observer status within the organisation, welcomed its counterparts as part of its growing engagement with Turkic nations, Caliber.Az reports.

According to a statement by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Hakan Fidan participated in the ministerial meeting and the opening ceremony held in advance of the summit.

“Minister Hakan Fidan met with his counterparts at the opening ceremony organised before the informal summit of the OTS in Budapest,” the Ministry posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.

Minister of Foreign Affairs @HakanFidan met with his counterparts at the opening event prior to the Informal Summit of the OTS, in Budapest. pic.twitter.com/Pe6Zqbh5Ss

— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) May 20, 2025

A photograph released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry captures the moment, showing OTS Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliyev alongside the foreign ministers of member countries — Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan, Hakan Fidan of Türkiye, Jeenbek Kulubayev of Kyrgyzstan, Jeyhun Bayramov of Azerbaijan, Bakhtiyor Saidov of Uzbekistan — and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is currently on a working visit to Hungary. On May 20, he held bilateral talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as part of the diplomatic engagements surrounding the summit.

The Organisation of Turkic States is a growing multilateral platform committed to deepening political, economic, cultural, and security cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations. Its five core members — Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan — are working closely to strengthen regional integration and jointly address shared challenges. Hungary’s observer role signals its strategic interest in aligning more closely with the region.

The Budapest summit, held under the theme “Meeting Point of East and West,” is expected to mark an important step forward in the bloc’s efforts to expand its partnerships, reinforce solidarity among member states, and engage with international actors on a wider global stage.

By Tamilla Hasanova