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Hungary against any new cold war between East and West, says top diplomat

"We, Hungarians, who are in the center of Europe, do not want a new cold war, a new iron curtain and a long-term confrontation between the East and the West," Peter Szijjarto said, primarily referring to Russia by the word "East"

BUDAPEST, January 13. /TASS/. Hungary does not want a new cold war, nor does it want a new iron curtain between the East and West, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Friday after his meeting in Budapest with Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).

The foreign minister said that Hungary's economy had suffered due to the armed conflict in Ukraine, which has disrupted traditional economic ties on the continent. "We, Hungarians, who are in the center of Europe, do not want a new cold war, a new iron curtain and a long-term confrontation between the East and the West," Szijjarto said, primarily referring to Russia by the word "East".

"However, the reality is what it is, and now the development of cooperation between Europe and the Central Asian region is becoming even more important. In this regard, the top diplomat reiterated Hungary's intention to strengthen economic and trade contacts with members of the Organization of Turkic States. "We can expand our Eurasian transportation capacities by replacing transport routes that have become inaccessible due to the Ukrainian-Russian conflict," Szijjarto said, specifying that Hungary has joined the information platform for organizing international transportation in Eurasia.

The foreign minister also recalled that Hungary, which has observer status in the Organization of Turkic States, intends to participate in the work of its investment fund. In addition, an Institute for water resource management in Central Asia will be founded in Budapest under the aegis of the OTS. Last November, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attended the Organization of Turkic States summit in Samarkand.

Orban met with Omuraliyev in Budapest on Friday. The Kyrgyz diplomat, who previously served as ambassador to Turkey, was appointed secretary-general of the Organization of Turkic States in November and is currently visiting the association’s member states. They include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan, as well as Hungary, has observer status in the club. The organization’s next summit will be held in Kazakhstan in 2023.

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