Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán participated in the summit of the Organization of Turkic Nations organized by Azerbaijan in Shusha on Friday and Saturday. Organizations include: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan; Hungary has observer status along with Turkmenistan. The aim of the organization is to promote the culture of the countries using the languages of the Turkic family. Hungary and the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
High Representative for Foreign and Security Affairs Joseph Borrell issued a statement on Orban’s participation in the Shusha summit.
As Borrell emphasized, Orban’s participation in the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Shusha “took place exclusively within the framework of Hungary’s bilateral relations with this organization.”
Hungarian President of the European Union
Hungary holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union for half a year, under which its main task is to organize the work of the ministers of the member states.
In a statement, the presidency does not mean the “external representation of the Union”, which – as he pointed out – is the responsibility of the President of the European Council at the level of the heads of the EU member states. Governments, and at the ministerial level of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Affairs, i.e. himself.
– Hungary has not received any mandate from the Council of the European Union to strengthen relations with the organization of Turkic states, Borrell stressed.
He said the EU rejects separatists and attempts to establish an internationally unrecognized entity. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a member of the Organization of Turkish States. “This decision, which is pending approval by the members of the organization, is regrettable and contradicts the fact that many of its members have expressed strong support for the principle of territorial integrity and the United Nations Charter,” the High Representative stressed.
He recalled that the EU had made it clear several times, including at the highest political level, that the EU only recognized the Republic of Cyprus as a subject of international law.
Hungary assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July. Orban traveled to Kiev the next day before traveling to Moscow on Friday to meet with dictator Vladimir Putin. EU institutions distanced themselves from Orban’s visit to Moscow. Orban did not receive a mandate from the Council of the European Union regarding his visit to Moscow, as Borrell emphasized in a statement released on the day of the Hungarian visit to Moscow; It is only bilateral in nature and the EU has nothing to do with Vladimir Putin.
In 1974, Turkey, fearing that Turkish-inhabited Cyprus would be annexed to Greece, launched an invasion, leading to the so-called Declaration of Independence. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, officially recognized only by Turkey.