President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated that Türkiye has been mobilizing all means to find a diplomatic, fair and permanent solution to the Russia-Ukraine War, as he met with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday.
Speaking at a joint news conference in Istanbul, Erdoğan said the two leaders discussed current regional and global issues, including developments in the Middle East and Ukraine. He also expressed appreciation for Hungary’s contribution to the work of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), noting that the informal summit hosted by Budapest in May was historic as the first Turkic summit held within the borders of the European Union.
“From the outset of the war in Ukraine, Türkiye has spared no effort to ensure a just and lasting peace through diplomacy,” Erdoğan said, adding that Ankara will continue its efforts “with the understanding that no one wins a war and no one loses from a just peace.”
For his part, Orban also hailed the favorable relations between the two countries and Ankara's contributions to peace efforts.
He praised President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s efforts regarding the Russia–Ukraine conflict, saying, “We appreciate the president’s efforts and initiatives. He has been the only successful mediator in this matter.”
The two leaders signed agreements across several fields, including aviation, security, technology, culture and education, as they vowed to deepen ties.
Erdoğan said the two countries are close to reaching their $6 billion trade volume target. Orban traveled to Türkiye to attend the seventh meeting of the Türkiye–Hungary High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
Erdoğan said they discussed updating the trade goal to $10 billion, adding, “We implemented 28 joint actions and allocated resources to joint projects in 2025,” which was declared the Türkiye–Hungary Year of Science and Innovation.
The two sides also agreed to establish a joint planning group chaired by their foreign ministries to address bilateral and global issues in a more institutional framework, he said.
Taking into account changing security conditions in Europe, Erdoğan said the countries are evaluating projects — including those that foresee joint production — to further advance cooperation in the defense industry.
After the talks, the parties signed 16 agreements in multiple sectors. Erdoğan later hosted a dinner in honor of Orban.
