Katalin Novák held talks with the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and will visit the earthquake-stricken area

President of Hungary Katalin Novák paid a visit to the Turkish Parliament, the Grand National Assembly, in Ankara on Thursday. The Head of State held a meeting with Mustafa Sentop, Speaker of the Turkish Parliament - Vajk Farkas, Head of Communications at Sándor Palace informed MTI.

Among the topics on the agenda, Sándor Palace’s Head of Communication mentioned the earthquake in Türkiye last month, the aid provided by the Hungarians, the Russian-Ukrainian war, the issue of the Balkans, and the question of the NATO accession of certain countries.

Vajk Farkas explained: the solidarity shown by the Hungarian people after the earthquake and the role played by the Hungarian rescue teams who saved 35 human lives was an emphatic component of the meeting. The Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly thanked the Hungarians for their help and expressed his gratitude to them.

At the meeting, Katalin Novák emphasized that she – also as a mother - feels the pain of the Turkish families, which is also a reason for her visit to the earthquake-hit region. She highlighted the pride she feels in all those who have been helping the victims of the earthquake in Türkiye from the first minute. Regarding the war in Ukraine, the Head of Communication underlined: both parties agreed that the most important goal is peace, and the President of Hungary praised Türkiye’s role as a mediator. According to the statement, the Hungarian and Turkish sides also agreed concerning the Balkans, as the stability of the region is of paramount importance for both Türkiye and Hungary.

Vajk Farkas directed attention to the fact that the President of Hungary visited the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the day when the assembly began debating the ratification of Finland’s accession to NATO. This fact was highlighted as positive by both Katalin Novák and Mustafa Sentop – the Head of Communication at Sándor Palace noted.

On Thursday, Katalin Novák visited the presidential library and met Turkish students of Hungarian Studies. Later on during the day, the Head of State will visit a part of the region hit by the earthquake, and will meet Ahmet Yildirim, the 5 year old boy rescued by the Hungarian rescue team.