Türkiye ready to assist in delivery of natural gas to Hungary, says President Erdogan

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye on Wednesday said it was ready to assist Hungary on natural gas delivery via the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP).

"We, (Türkiye) together with Azerbaijan, are ready to provide all means of support in the delivery of natural gas to Hungary via TANAP," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a joint press conference with his visiting Hungarian counterpart Katalin Novak at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.

Hailing the longstanding ties between the two countries, Erdogan said the "helping hand" Hungary extended Türkiye after twin devastating earthquakes in February was the "solid example" of these strong relations.

"We discussed various aspects of Türkiye-Hungary relations at the meetings we held today," he added.

The Turkish president also said his country expects Hungary to "increasingly continue its support for making progress in the positive agenda in Türkiye-EU relations."

Asked about Russia's war on Ukraine, President Erdogan said Ankara wanted to bring Moscow and Kyiv to start negotiations and "end the war with peace at the table."

For her part, President Novak hailed Türkiye's role in the Black Sea grain initiative and urged an immediate cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine.

She further noted that Türkiye was "indispensable for Hungary's energy security" and noted that her country needed the Turkish Stream.

Novak also recalled Türkiye's role in combatting illegal migration, said the country is "key" in preventing it.