The parliamentary elections in Hungary ended with the victory of the main opposition party "Tisza". With this, the opposition ended the 16-year rule of the current Prime Minister Orban. The "Tisza" party won 138 of the 199 seats in the parliament, gaining the opportunity to form a government alone.
The leader of the winning "Respect and Freedom Party" (Tisza) in the parliamentary elections, Peter Magyar, has now attracted attention in Europe.
One of the interesting issues is related to Hungary's observer status in the Organization of Turkic States.
Former Prime Minister Viktor Orban was very interested in integration into the Turkic world. The new Prime Minister's inclination towards the European Union and his policy of aiming to be more a part of the European system seriously questions Hungary's relations with the OTS in the new period.
In his statement to Modern.az, Fazil Mustafa, a member of the Azerbaijan-Hungary Interparliamentary Working Group of the Milli Majlis and the Turkic States Assembly, stated that Orban's departure from power is not in Azerbaijan's favor:
"Of course, the Hungarian people demonstrated their will in democratic elections and brought a new force to power. Naturally, there is no eternal power. Viktor Orban has been the Prime Minister of Hungary for 16 years. Orban's attitude towards Azerbaijan, the Turkic World, and Turkey is very high. Azerbaijanis approach the issue from the perspective of the Hungarian people, as if they are happy about Orban's departure. Such a thought has arisen that the new government, unlike the Orban government, will supposedly help Ukraine. But when we approach the issue as people who think more Azerbaijan-centric, we do not think that Viktor Orban's departure from power is an event in our favor. Because we considered Hungary's participation in the policy of integration into the Turkic world to be beneficial. Because we saw a leader within the European Union who represented the interests of the Turkic states and spoke out against steps taken against them. On the other hand, Orban's steps related to the return of Ramil Safarov and Hungary's participation as an observer member in the OTS were, in any case, a positive approach. I believe that from this aspect, Orban's services should not be forgotten. In any case, this is an election that links Hungary's internal conditions. If the people have deemed it appropriate, then change was considered inevitable."
F. Mustafa said that it is hoped that Peter Magyar will continue Orban's line of cooperation with the Turkic World:
"Although the natural process will not be at the previous pace, in any case, the new Prime Minister will not allow this policy to change."
Political scientist Natiq Miri noted that there is no need for Hungary's relations with the Organization of Turkic States to be completely severed:
"Magyar will also understand this. Because the OTS is increasingly strengthening in Eurasia and today, perhaps, it is the strongest union. That is, we are talking about a national union with prospects. On the other hand, today this geography is attractive from the point of view of trade, transport-logistics, and energy transfer. In addition, most of the Turkic states that are members of the OTS have energy sources. Whether it is Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, or Turkmenistan, they can easily participate in ensuring Europe's energy security through the Caspian Sea. This is a factor that gives Hungary a great advantage. I think that participation in such a union is not a process against either the European Union or Hungary. On the contrary, it is an opportunity to diversify its security in every respect. Plus, why would maintaining normal relations with a union that is turning into a very large power center in the future harm Hungary? All these are probabilities. Because Magyar has no concrete policy or statement regarding the OTS. I think that after the new Prime Minister starts his activity and normal friendly relations are established with Azerbaijan and other states, the attitude of the new leadership of Hungary will also be positive towards this process. This is an issue that serves the interests of the Hungarian state. It should not be forgotten that Turkey is located in the center of the world. Establishing high-level relations with Turkey, Azerbaijan, which is a decisive state in the South Caucasus, as well as the Central Asian Turkic states, cannot be to Hungary's detriment. On the contrary, this promises geopolitical and geo-economic advantages for the country. In addition, Hungary is not a full member of the OTS, but only acts as an observer in the alliance. There are no restrictions for Hungary here either."
The political scientist said that Hungary's cooperation with the OTS also serves Europe's interests:
"Today, there are a number of countries that want to be observer members of the OTS. Therefore, why would the new Prime Minister cancel this cooperation when this issue has been resolved for Hungary, at least in observer status. I do not think that the European Union will put any pressure on Hungary in this regard either. Because this means a certain degree of influence for the EU."
