(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, AUG 21 - Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in
Budapest on Sunday, with energy security and Sweden's membership
of NATO on the agenda for both countries. Hungary has still not
voted to approve the Nordic country's entry into the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization, having aligned itself with Turkey
which had long blocked Sweden's membership before lifting its
veto last month. Both countries' parliaments are currently on
holiday. "We can come back to the issue at the autumn session,"
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Facebook, "We
have agreed to stay in touch." The two countries have also
discussed strengthening their energy cooperation, given that
Hungary already receives a large proportion of its gas via the
TurkStream pipeline, which transports Russian gas across the
Black Sea. Budapest and Ankara will also be deepening their
"strategic partnership", an announcement due to be made official
during a visit by Erdogan scheduled for December. Among other
dignitaries welcomed on Sunday were the presidents of Serbia,
Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan as well as President Serdar
Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan. Szijjarto welcomed "the close
cooperation between Central Asia and the Western Balkans", which
he said was especially important given the energy crisis. Serbia
has promised to "provide the necessary transit capacity" if
Ukraine decides to stop allowing Russian gas to pass through its
territory to be transported to European countries, he added.
(ANSA-AFP).
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