The 2 nations are the one holdouts in NATO to not have ratified Sweden’s bid to hitch the transatlantic navy alliance.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban have pledged to strengthen ties after talks in Budapest.
The assembly on Monday marked the Turkish president’s second go to to the nation in 4 months.
Hungary and Turkey are the one two NATO nations which have so far not ratified Sweden’s bid to hitch the transatlantic navy alliance within the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Erdogan made Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO bid conditional on the US Congress “concurrently” approving Ankara’s request for F-16 fighter jets.
The 2 leaders didn’t touch upon the problem of their tackle to reporters.
NATO enlargement was mentioned throughout Erdogan’s go to, in accordance with Hungarian President Katalin Novak, who additionally met the Turkish chief.
Erdogan’s go to coincides with the a centesimal anniversary of the institution of diplomatic relations between the 2 nations.
“We want to additional strengthen our ties in areas akin to defence and power, the place we have already got fruitful cooperation,” Erdogan mentioned, including that the 2 nations aimed to extend their commerce quantity to $6bn from $4bn at present.
One horsepower for 435
Erdogan was obtained with navy honours in Budapest’s Heroes’ Sq. earlier than heading into a gathering with Novak after which with Orban.
Orban offered Erdogan with the reward of a Nonius horse – although the Turkish chief fell off a horse in 2003.
“The reward from one equestrian nation to a different,” Orban wrote on Fb.
In return, Orban was gifted with an electrical automobile made in Turkey, a photograph of which he posted on X.
“The perfect deal I’ve ever made! For one horsepower, I acquired 435. Welcome to Hungary President Erdogan!” he wrote.
Throughout a joint press convention, Orban mentioned his nation was “on the lookout for allies with whom we will win”.
“The large plan is that Turks and Hungarians shall be victorious collectively within the twenty first century,” he mentioned.
Lately, Hungary has pursued a coverage of opening as much as the East, not solely in direction of Russia but in addition in direction of China and Central Asian nations.
The central European nation of near 10 million folks is the one European Union member state that has maintained shut ties to the Kremlin for the reason that starting of the Ukraine battle.
On Sweden’s NATO membership, Budapest has chided Stockholm over its “open hostile angle”, accusing Swedish representatives of being “repeatedly eager to bash Hungary” on rule-of-law points.
Orban advised parliament in September that ratifying Sweden’s NATO bid was not “pressing”. Prior to now, Orban has repeatedly acknowledged that Hungary helps Sweden’s bid, claiming that the approval was merely a “technicality”.