Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
Şuay Nilhan Açikalin
08/01/2025 06:03
Along with foreign policy choices, strong historical and cultural links, and improved relations with Türkiye, Hungary has represented its interests in Turkic states. In this regard, Hungary established embassies in Central Asian nations, which evolved into multilateral platform-based ties in 2018. Hungary joined the OTS as an observer in 2021, and since then, Hungary's contribution to the Organization of Turkic States has been increasing in both multilateral and bilateral ways.
There is no doubt that cooperation with Türkiye plays a key role in fostering relations. In this respect, Türkiye and Hungary cooperate in the OTS in three main areas: energy, transportation, and trade. First of all, energy is the most vital area in which Türkiye and Hungary are successfully cooperating. Especially since the Russian-Ukrainian war began, energy security and alternatives have been a main concern for European countries, including Hungary. The agreement between the Hungarian energy firm MVM and Türkiye's BOTAŞ has broadened energy cooperation more than ever before. Additional collaboration includes storage, infrastructure development, and the utilization of renewables and hydrogen. Following this cooperation, Azerbaijan will begin providing Hungary with around 275 million cubic meters of natural gas through Türkiye in April. Hungary will become the first non-bordering beneficiary of Turkey's natural gas exports. Moreover, energy cooperation is flourishing with Turkmenistan and other member countries of the OTS.
Secondly, the area of transportation seems to be more visible as the backbone of logistics. Over the years, Türkiye and Hungary have already established strong connections through railways. In recent years, waterway connections via the Danube River have opened new opportunities. From a broader perspective, the two countries are key actors in the OTS agenda, particularly in improving transportation and transit operations throughout the Middle Corridor. They are also highlighting the need for incentives, discounts, and streamlined procedures to improve efficiency and connectivity through the Transport Connectivity Program's Joint Action Plan for 2023-2027.
Lastly, trade is also accelerating between the two countries and among OTS members. In the last ten years, mutual trade between Türkiye and Hungary has doubled both in volume and sectors. Additionally, Hungary’s trade with OTS member countries has increased by 162% in the last decade. Hungary's Eximbank has provided around $1 billion in loans to support Hungarian enterprises with initiatives in Turkic nations. In this regard, the OTS is currently working with the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA), and Hungarian Eximbank to establish closer ties between the business communities of OTS member countries and Hungary. Consequently, this unique relationship between the two countries, as well as among member countries, will find stronger ground in the future through Hungarian-Turkish cooperation and the framework under the OTS umbrella.
The author is a Visiting Fellow at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium and Associate Professor at Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University