ANKARA
Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev was received by Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban in Budapest on Friday.
Congratulating Omuraliev for his appointment to the post, Orban stressed that Hungary, which has an observer status in the organization, has always nurtured deep ties with the Turkic world.
Orban reiterated Hungary’s commitment to achieve the goals of the OTS towards “fostering multidimensional cooperation and increasing people-to-people contacts and cultural exchange among its member and observer states by promoting their rich heritage and shared values.”
Omuraliev, for his part, said Hungary has made valuable contributions to the organization and expressed constant support to facilitate and further develop economic, trade and investment ties.
He also reaffirmed Hungary's readiness to actively participate in activities aimed at implementing decisions taken at the organization's 9th summit in Samarkand last November.
Omuraliev and Orban exchanged views and shared their visions on furthering practical cooperation in priority areas such as transport and energy, agriculture, and water management.
They stressed the role of the OTS Drought Prevention Institute to be established in Budapest to reduce the negative effects of drought and its economic impact on the Turkic countries, leveraging Hungary's expertise and experience in water management and drought prevention.
Underlining the relevance of cultural, educational, youth, and sports activities within the OTS, the parties expressed their readiness to actively involve Hungarian universities in the Turkic University Union, and agreed to support scheduled events, including the World Nomad Games.
They also discussed the vital role of the organization's representation office in Budapest in promoting cooperation between OTS members and Hungary, as well as European institutions.
The OTS, formerly called the Turkic Council, is an international organization comprising prominent independent Turkic countries that work together to elevate relations and the union among themselves.
Its members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan. EU country Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have observer status.
