BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 22. Relations between Azerbaijan and Hungary have risen to the level of strategic partnership in recent years, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.
According to him, the personal friendship and mutual trust established between the leaders of the two countries - President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – make an important contribution to the development of these relations.
The analyst said that the two countries consistently support each other not only bilaterally, but also within international organizations and multilateral platforms.
“Political ties between Azerbaijan and Hungary are currently at a fairly high level. Regular dialogue and high-level visits by both sides ensure the deepening of these ties. President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Budapest and the meetings held during this visit are vivid evidence of this. Speaking during a joint press statement with the head of the Azerbaijani state, Orbán rightly called President Ilham Aliyev a friend of Hungary, saying that "A friend is known in times of need, and for more than 20 years, President Aliyev has always stood by our side during any difficulty Hungary has faced in any field — whether diplomacy, the oil and gas industry, or other areas." Meanwhile, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that we are friendly countries and strategic partners: "During today's negotiations and the meeting in a limited format, we once again saw that our positions on many issues coincide. When we observe the developments taking place in the changing world today, there is still no major difference in our positions. There are many similarities between Azerbaijan and Hungary." This shows how much Azerbaijan values its relations with Hungary, and how much Hungary values its relations with Azerbaijan,” Garayev explained.
The political analyst underscored that Hungary has repeatedly opposed unilateral and biased documents against Azerbaijan in international bodies, especially within the European Union and the European Parliament, vetoing them.
“Budapest has always expressed unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Likewise, Azerbaijan supports Hungary’s international initiatives and stands in solidarity with it,” he said.
Azer Garayev noted that economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Hungary is also developing steadily.
“In particular, strategic cooperation has been established in the field of energy. Hungary is one of the first European countries to import natural gas from Azerbaijan, which once again underscores Baku’s role in ensuring Europe’s energy security. Opportunities for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Hungarian companies are expanding within the framework of the ‘green’ energy strategy. Negotiations are underway between the two countries on joint projects in industry, agriculture, information technology, pharmaceuticals, and transport. Just as the Hungarian market is attractive for Azerbaijan’s private sector, Hungarian investors are also showing interest in the Azerbaijani economy,” he said.
He stressed that since 2018, Hungary has been an observer in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and closely cooperates with Azerbaijan on this platform.
“Hungary’s activity in the OTS indicates its desire to elevate relations with Turkic-speaking countries to a strategic level. Azerbaijan highly values Hungary’s role on this platform and consistently supports its activities. The holding of the second informal OTS summit on Hungary’s initiative also demonstrates the importance that this country places on relations with Turkic-speaking states. As President Ilham Aliyev said, this once again shows that Hungary is very attached to its historical roots,” the analyst pointed out.
Garayev stressed that relations between Azerbaijan and Hungary are built on friendship and mutual interests.
“Political dialogue, economic cooperation, partnership in the cultural and humanitarian spheres, as well as mutual support in international organizations, have elevated these relations to the level of strategic partnership. This cooperation is important not only for the two countries but also for the stability and development of the region and Europe as a whole,” he added.
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