Prime Minister Viktor Orbán paid an official visit to Turkmenistan. In Ashgabat he pointed out that there was a need for more energy to come from Central Asia to Europe. During his official program the Prime Minister of Hungary held talks with President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, as well as with the former head of state, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow who is at the moment the President of the People’s Council.
”Since the classic East–West transit routes of transporting and supplying energy have been disrupted, we have to try and find new routes and new partners. The current situation upgrades the whole Central Asian region, and there is a good chance that this region could become the bridge between the East and the West” – pointed out Prime Minister Orbán in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. In his judgment, we need more energy to come from Central Asia to Europe, and for this reason new sources, new transit routes, new infrastructure are required. As he said, in these efforts, Europe and Hungary could find a great partner in Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan is able to greatly contribute to diversifying the energy supply of Hungary. At the same time, Prime Minister Orbán believed that this was not going to be simple, since complicated issues of infrastructure and transport should be sorted out, questions that fall beyond the ambit of the two countries. ”For this reason, Hungary is interested in the earliest possible settlement of the open issues around the Caspian Sea.” Prime Minister Orbán stated that ”Hungary is prodding and urging the institutions of the European Union” so that the EU should enter into force the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation with Turkmenistan signed 25 years ago.
Prime Minister Orbán also stressed that Hungary is providing the lion’s share in supplying medicine to Turkmenistan. Furthermore, after some talks opportunities can be opened for cooperation – besides energetics – in water management. The Sides have agreed that both of them will be making proposals on newer and newer fields of economic cooperation.
Prime Minister Orbán also added that the launching of the teaching of the Hungarian language is being planned. We would also like to see that “the political and economic relations between the two countries should reflect the strength and depth of our historical kinship.“
