Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (R) receiving Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Kubanychbek Omuraliev for talks in his office in Budapest, Hungary, Jan. 13, 2023. (Photo: Handout by Hungarian Prime Minister’s Press Office via EPA Photo)
Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held talks with Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, on the sidelines of the 4th summit of the European Political Community. The talks, conducted in a friendly atmosphere, focused on bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries. They also recalled the Hungarian Prime Minister’s visit to Shusha for the Informal Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States and the meetings held during the summit.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban was condemned by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Saturday, July 6, after the nationalist leader attended a meeting of the Organization of Turkic States in Azerbaijan. Brussels, EU allies, the United States and Kyiv had already slammed Orban, whose country took over the European Union’s rotating presidency this month, for holding talks on the Ukraine war with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
EU officials blasted the surprise trip, saying it threatened to undermine the 27-member bloc’s stance on the conflict and stressed that he was not representing Brussels. Orban’s participation at an informal OTS summit in Azerbaijan on Saturday was the latest event where he represented Hungary alone and not the European Union, Borrell said. “Hungary has not received any mandate from the EU Council to advance the relations with the Organization of Turkic States,” Borrell said in a statement.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s question of cooperation at the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Shusha, Azerbaijan, has ignited a diplomatic spat at the European Union’s heart. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Nedel, criticized Orban’s contact with the summit of the Organization of Turkish States. Orbán acted without an EU mandate and sparked accusations of bias against Hungary’s independent foreign policy. The division raises a question – should Hungary take into account the opinion of the Western countries on the question of whether it should expand its diplomatic influence and more with countries that are culturally close to it? After all, Hungary was ruled for many years under the Turkish Ottoman Empire…
Orban’s presence at the summit alongside leaders such as Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tater underscores Hungary’s guidelines with Turkish-speaking countries. This alignment has deepened since Hungary gained observer status in the OTS in 2018, with potential aspirations for full membership, reflecting its diplomatic and economic interests in “Eurasia”.
Borrell’s critics say his objections reflect what they describe as “Turcophobia” and “Islamophobia” within EU diplomacy. They object to Borrell’s recent stance when he remained silent in Orban’s face at the seventh summit of the Cooperation Council of the speaking countries in Baku in 2019. In addition, they question the consistency and fairness of the EU’s criticism against Hungary’s diplomatic engagement.
The dispute goes beyond the usual diplomatic disputes, highlighting broader cultural and symbolic ones. Orban’s visit to Shusha, a city that Armenia recently built over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, symbolizes Hungary’s solidarity with the Turkish states and its support for their ambitions amid geopolitical tensions. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s vision of the OTS as a prominent international force defending regional interests resonates with supporters, despite criticism from within the European Union.
Meanwhile, at the summit chaired by Aliyev, the discussions considered not only political cooperation but also economic initiatives, such as the expansion of the East-West transportation corridor. Aliyev and other Turkish leaders have emphasized the importance of improving regional trade and infrastructure, reflecting a strategic commitment to economic development amid geopolitical complexities and hypocritical criticism from the West.
Aliyev’s efforts to strengthen the OTS come amid strained relations with Western countries. His criticism of Western intervention and his desire to increase pan-Turkish cooperation is in line with broader sentiments among Turkic states in “Eurasia”. Which Turkish countries that reside in Central Asia seek to claim their autonomy and regional influence, as much as they can, without regard to Western opinion and Western interest. Aliyev’s position marks the diplomatic and geopolitical strengthening of the Turkish Central Asian countries, towards strengthening regional alliances while challenging Western dominance and influence.
As geopolitical dynamics continue to unfold, the division surrounding Orban’s criticism underscores the complexities of identity, sovereignty, and global diplomacy. The clash between the EU’s criticism of Hungary’s pursuit of historical and geopolitical interests in the Turkish world reflects ongoing tensions within and beyond European diplomacy, and is shaping the future contours of European geopolitics.