The Minister for Trade of the Republic of Turkey, Mehmet Mus, who is paying an official visit to Budapest, was received in the Ybl Villa by H.E. Ambassador János Hóvári, the Head of the Representation Office of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). The Ambassadors of the OTS Member States accredited to Budapest, as well as their diplomats working at the Representation, also participated in the meeting.
Mehmet Mus informed his host that Hungary and Turkey will be launching joint programs to develop the economies in Africa. This was discussed at the Hungarian–Turkish Business Forum under the title “Heading to Africa”. The continent must be supported so that its ability to maintain its population could keep pace with the growth of the population. The Minister for Trade also spoke about the need to further develop the trade relations among the Turkic states. One of the most important elements of these are the infrastructural projects that connect Turkey with Central Asia.
Mehmet Mus also stressed that the unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles that slow down the various development projects must be surmounted. He added that at the moment it was still impossible to assess the impact of the Russian–Ukrainian war. Both Russia and Ukraine are important economic partners for Turkey. However, it can already be seen that the transportation of goods across the Black Sea will significantly become more expensive, since the costs of insurance will increase. Ambassador Hóvári expressed his thanks for the visit of Minister Mus and his briefing on the Turkic states.
During his visit to Hungary, Minister for Trade Mehmet Mus also met Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó who underlined: despite the crisis, last year the economy of Hungary set up a triple record in which the Hungarian–Turkish trade relations played an important role. In 2021, the volume of bilateral trade – with its 15 percent increase – was close to USD4 billion which is considered to be a record.
“For us the cooperation with Turkey, with the stakeholders of the Turkish economy, offers a feeling of safety, since when we cooperate with Turkish people, we cooperate with friends, with a strong player in the world economy which has always proved to be a fair and reliable partner”, stated Minister Szijjártó.
