Hungarian premier praises Turkish President Erdogan for Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul

By Askin Kiyagan and Eren Beksac

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AA) – Hungary’s premier on Wednesday praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over last week’s Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, the first in over three years.

In a speech in Budapest at an informal meeting of the Organization of Turkic States, Viktor Orban said it was Erdogan's personal efforts that made the landmark talks possible.

Orban also thanked Erdogan for helping make the TurkStream natural gas pipeline – which provides Hungary with natural gas at a time when most European countries are facing an energy crisis – into a reality.

The premier also thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for exporting natural gas to his country via TurkStream.