Government official: Hungary aims to strengthen cultural ties with Turkiye

Marking the centenary of diplomatic ties, Hungary and Turkiye will each organise 100 cultural events in each other’s countries, Peter Hoppal said.

Hungarian programmes will be held in Istanbul and Ankara, but also in cities with ties to Hungary such as Tekirdag, Osmaniye and Kutahya.

In Rodosto, for example, Ferenc Rakoczi passed away, while in Osmaniye there is a Bartok memorial house, and a Kossuth memorial house is located in Kutahya.

Kerekes Band is giving a concert in earthquake-hit Malataya and they will travel on to Osmaniye, he noted.

Events also include the unveiling of statues, scientific collaborations between universities, and Hungary is preparing for the Turkish Book Week with the publication of 43 books.

Hoppal said that whereas Hungarians reflexively associated Turkiye with 150 years of occupation, “our refugees and heroes of freedom fights found peace there, while Hungarians also contributed to the construction of Turkey in the last hundred years”.

Events organised by Turkiye will be held in Budapest, Miskolc, Szeged, Eger and other cities, he added.