Hungary–Turkey_relations
Hungary–Turkey relations
Bilateral relations
Hungary–Turkey relations are the bilateral relations between Hungary and Turkey. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe, the OECD, the NATO, the OSCE and the WTO. Also Hungary is an EU member and Turkey is a candidate. Hungary has observer status in the Organization of Turkic States, in which Turkey is a full member.
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Both Hungarians and Turks originated from North and Central Asia respectively, then they migrated westward in different eras. The Hungarians belong to Uralic and Turks belong to Turkic group.
However, Hungary was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1541 to 1699. The first major encounter between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottomans was at the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. The Ottoman decline in Europe occurred during the Great Turkish War.
Later on, both Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire were part of the Central Powers during the WWI in the 20th century.
In October 2019, despite the EU's formal position that Turkey should immediately end its operations in northern Syria, Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó endorsed the Turkish incursion into Syria, adding that the most important thing is to protect Hungarian interests and stop migration. Szijjártó stressed that Hungary would happily work with Turkey if it creates a safe zone in Syria where families who left the country could be resettled.[1]
Hungary has supported Turkey's accession to the European Union since the country itself became a member in 2004, a stance that has been maintained by left- and right-wing governments alike.[2]
In 2018, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán claimed that the European Union has been "insincere" with Turkey on its efforts to join the bloc and urged the EU to decide whether it wants a "comprehensive, deep cooperation" with Turkey or not.[3]
Public opinion
According to a Eurobarometer poll in 2005, 51% of the questioned Hungarians was in favour of Turkey's accession to the EU, which was higher than the EU average of 39%. 75% of respondents also declared that Turkey was part of Europe. According to the poll, Turkey's EU accession was not a partisan issue in Hungary and the share of those supporting the accession was the same on the right and left side of the political spectrum.[2]
As of 2018, bilateral trade volume between Turkey and Hungary stood at 2 billion 551 million dollars (Turkish exports: 1 billion 156 million Dollars; Turkish imports: 1 billion 395 million Dollars). Main items of Turkey's exports to Hungary consist of automotive products, machinery, processed products, and food products. Main items of Turkey's imports from Hungary consist of automotive products, machinery, processed products, fuel and cattle.
It has been reported by Turkish authorities that 81 Hungarian companies are operating in Turkey as of June 2018. These companies are mostly centered around trade, tourism, energy, chemistry, glass products and food sectors. The total amount of direct investments of the Hungarian firms in Turkey during 2002-2018 period was recorded as US$29 million. It has also been recorded that the total amount of direct investments of Turkish firms in Hungary during 2002-2018 period was US$58 million. These companies were mainly investing in textile, construction, jewelry and food industries.[4]
- "Hungarian minister appears to endorse Turkish incursion into Syria". POLITICO. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- "FEUTURE EU 28 Country Report - Hungary" (PDF). University of Cologne.
- "Hungary's Orban says EU 'insincere' with Turkey on accession". Insider. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- "Commercial and Economic Relations between Turkey and Hungary". Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2020-11-17.