Bridge between East and West - Presidential visit to Ankara
Dr. Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary, was received in Ankara by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoǧan with military honours. During the presidential meeting and the subsequent restricted and cordial plenary discussions, the parties addressed the following topics:
Hungary and Türkiye share a common past, a deep friendship and a strategic alliance.
The two countries now enjoy a key strategic partnership, as confirmed by the frequency of high-level meetings.
Hungary is committed to further deepening cooperation based on mutual respect and multi-faceted partnership with Türkiye.
The common goal is to further develop bilateral energy, security policy, defence industrial, economic and cultural relations between Hungary and Türkiye.
Our cultural and historical ties were commemorated in 2024 with the Hungarian-Turkish Cultural Year, the motto of which was "A century of friendship and cooperation". The Year's programmes provided an opportunity for further dialogue, thus ensuring that the friendly relationship between the two countries continues to deepen.
In this key strategic partnership, mutual understanding is based on the mutual bridging role between East and West.
The two countries will designate 2025 as the Hungarian-Turkish Year of Science and Innovation. The dedicated year aims to give new impetus to joint research projects, sharing of good innovation practices and exchange of higher education faculty members and students.
Türkiye is a privileged and indispensable partner for the EU in a number of crucial areas such as energy security, trade, guaranteeing regional security, the fight against terrorism and illegal migration. During the current EU Presidency, Hungary has paid particular attention to advancing Türkiye’s accession process.
Türkiye is a strategic partner of the EU in the fight against illegal migration. In order to tackle the migration challenge, it is essential that the European Union provides adequate and sufficient support to Türkiye. Türkiye is an indispensable actor for creating regional stability, and preserving security and peace.
The stability of the Middle East is a common interest. For Hungary, it is very important that no extremist ideology or radical group should be allowed to take control of the region. Therefore, special attention must be paid to respect for the rights of religious communities and minorities and to the security of these communities. Hungary will pay particular attention to the Christian communities in the region, to whom it will continue to provide humanitarian assistance.
Following the bilateral talks, the Turkish Head of State hosted Hungarian Head of State Dr. Tamás Sulyok and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at a banquet dinner.
The programme in Ankara concluded with the Gala Concert of the Hungarian-Turkish Cultural Year, where a number of Hungarian and Turkish artists performed classical and folk music based on the cultural traditions of the two nations in front of an audience of around 1,900 guests.