Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Anita Orbán at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara. After one-on-one talks, the two ministers co-chaired the first meeting of the Türkiye-Hungary Joint Planning Group.
Fidan called the meeting an important step toward strengthening the strategic partnership and said all aspects of bilateral ties were discussed. Preparations for the next High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) meeting, to be held in Hungary next year, were also reviewed.
Trade and defense industry
The ministers underlined the goal of raising bilateral trade to $10 billion and reviewed defense industry projects. Fidan said Türkiye would continue contributing to NATO’s Forward Land Forces in allied Hungary, while Orbán reiterated Budapest’s support for Türkiye’s EU membership process.
Bilateral trade stood at about $5.1 billion in 2025. Turkish investment in Hungary totals $231 million and Hungarian investment in Türkiye $35 million; some 300 Turkish companies operate in Hungary and about 100 Hungarian-owned firms in Türkiye.
What the Joint Planning Group will do
The HLSCC, set up in 2013, raised ties to a strategic partnership, upgraded to an "enhanced strategic partnership" at its sixth meeting in Budapest in 2023. The Joint Planning Group, agreed at the seventh HLSCC meeting in Istanbul on Dec. 8, 2025, oversees implementation of council decisions and prepares future meetings; it is expected to meet once a year, alternating between the two countries.
Fidan and Orbán last met on July 7 on the sidelines of the NATO Ankara Summit. At their joint press conference, Fidan also spoke about the risk of the Russia-Ukraine war spreading to the Black Sea and about Israel’s elections.
