Has Hungary lost interest in Turkic diplomacy after leadership change?

As the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) holds its 13th Summit in Ankara on October 30, attention is turning to the organisation's growing ambitions in trade, energy and regional connectivity, as well as to the future role of Hungary, one of its most distinctive European partners. The summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan under the theme "Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Deed", will also mark the transfer of the OTS chairmanship from Azerbaijan to Türkiye.

Hungary, an observer state of the organisation, underwent a major leadership change after its April 2026 parliamentary elections, which ended Viktor Orbán's 16-year premiership and brought Péter Magyar and his Tisza party to power. Under Orbán, Budapest cultivated particularly close political relations with the Turkic world. The new leadership's longer-term approach to the OTS has yet to become fully clear, although Hungary retains its observer status.

Speaking to AzerNEWS, Professor Laszlo Vasa of Széchenyi István University argued that Hungary's relations with the Turkic world should be regarded as a long-term strategic interest rather than an initiative tied exclusively to the previous government. He said the achievements deserve to be continued even if the new government chooses a different political language, and cautioned against reading less visible participation as a final decision to step back.