The heads of Turkic Council Member States, including Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on behalf of Hungary which holds observer status in the council, held a video conference on Friday. At the summit, the main emphasis was on joint efforts in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the information of Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s press chief, at the summit heads of state, including Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, exchanged experiences regarding the measures adopted against the spread of infection on a national level, and decided to ensure the continuity of trade relations and supplies. They reviewed the possibility of cooperation in the health care sector, and also agreed to provide mutual assistance for their citizens stuck in the territories of Member States.

At the meeting, Mr Orbán said, following from our common cultural heritage, Hungarians look upon Turkic peoples as their brothers and sisters. He expressed Hungary’s gratitude for the donations received from Uzbek and Azeri partners.

Uzbekistan donated 150,000 medical face masks, while Azerbaijan another 10,000. The Prime Minister added that we are equally grateful to Kazakhstan for having enabled planes carrying medical supplies ordered by the Hungarian government from China to refuel at the capital’s airport.

At the same time, despite export restrictions, Turkey authorised the transportation to Hungary of 8 tonnes of textiles used as raw material for face masks and hand sanitiser gel. As the Hungarian saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed, Mr Orbán said.

Members of the Turkic Council comprised of Turkic-speaking countries include Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Hungary has had observer status in the council since 2018.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)