Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday in the capital, Ankara. The two leaders, who have a close personal friendship, were expected to discuss developments in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the Middle East, especially in Gaza and Syria, as well as bilateral relations, a statement by Hungary said. Erdoğan was also set to meet Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok in Ankara. The three men are also scheduled to attend an event to mark the end of the Turkish-Hungarian Cultural Year.
Orban, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, embarked on a self-styled peace mission for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. With Erdoğan, they have a mutual “friend” in U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, and both are on good terms with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Türkiye also maintains good ties with Ukraine, though it opposes Western sanctions on Russia over the conflict.
The Kremlin on Thursday confirmed that Orban offered Putin to participate in a major prisoner exchange and a Christmas cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Erdoğan himself led Türkiye’s efforts for peace between the two countries and managed to broker a deal between the two countries for the transportation of Ukraine grain amid conflict, though efforts for a lasting peace have not produced a tangible result so far.
Türkiye and Hungary trace their ties to Ottoman times, but a friendship treaty signed in the same year with the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye in 1923 cemented relations in the modern era. Under the leadership of Erdoğan, countries improved their relations, especially after the inaugural meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in 2013.
Hungary is among the few firm supporters within the EU for Türkiye’s ambition to join the bloc. The two countries also enjoy close ties in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), which Hungary joined as an observer member in 2018.
