Erdogan and Orban forge deeper ties with 16 new bilateral agreements
During a high-level summit in Istanbul, Türkiye and Hungary solidified their strategic partnership by signing 16 accords across defense, energy, and technology. The meeting underscored a rapidly growing alliance, with trade approaching $6 billion and Hungary emerging as a key European bridge for Türkiye and the Turkic world.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have significantly advanced a strategic partnership, signing 16 new agreements during a high-level council meeting in Istanbul. The December 8 summit at Dolmabahce Palace marks a continued deepening of ties, with collaboration now spanning defense, energy security, innovation, and joint diplomatic initiatives.
A multifaceted strategic and economic partnership
The agreements reflect a relationship that has moved beyond diplomacy into substantive economic and security cooperation. Bilateral trade is nearing $6 billion, with leaders setting a new $10 billion target. In energy, Türkiye's role has evolved from a transit route via the Turkish Stream pipeline to a direct supplier of natural gas to Hungary since 2024. Joint ventures, like those between MOL Group and TPAO in oil drilling, further bind the two economies. A newly launched consultation mechanism will coordinate foreign, defense, and security policies between the nations.
Hungary as Türkiye's bridge to the EU and the Turkic world
A central pillar of the partnership is Hungary's unique position as both an EU member and an observer state in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), a status facilitated by Türkiye. This role allows Hungary to act as a conduit, hosting the first-ever OTS summit within the EU in 2025 and fostering cultural and educational exchanges. For Türkiye, strengthened defense-industrial ties with an EU member bolster its standing in European security frameworks, while Hungarian companies gain access to Türkiye's growing defense sector.
Solidifying a geopolitical alliance
The strengthened bond is underpinned by converging geopolitical perspectives on issues from regional stability in the Balkans to migration management. Hungary has repeatedly demonstrated understanding of Turkish security concerns within EU forums. This alignment, coupled with extensive cooperation in energy, trade, and investment across the Turkic world, positions the Türkiye-Hungary axis as a steadily influential partnership amid a fragmenting global order.
*The author is research fellow at the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics, based in Hungary.
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