Turkey scraps visa requirement for Hungary

(MTI) – Turkey will eliminate its visa requirement for Hungarians, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, said after talks with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban in Ankara on Wednesday.

Orban expressed thanks for the move and said that although Hungary must respect Schengen visa rules, it has granted the largest possible benefits to Turkey within those limitations, namely that it has made it easier for businesspeople, sportsmen and actors to obtain visas. Hungary has the best visa regime for Turkey among all European Union states, Orban said.

He added that Hungary advocates Turkey’s EU integration and supports the idea that Turkey should have visa-free access even before EU membership as a recognition of its economic achievements. He added that Turkey’s integration was also in the EU’s utmost interest as it is not possible to reverse current economic trends in the EU without further enlargement and the “acceptance” of Turkey’s economy. Turkey has become a major economic power, he said.

Erdogan said annual trade between Hungary and Turkey currently amounted to 2 billion dollars, and plans are afoot to increase this to 5 billion by 2020. He said diversifying and expanding economic ties was also on the agenda. Erdogan thanked Hungary for its support to Turkey’s EU accession.

The Turkish prime minister emphasised that the countries of the Visegrad Four grouping (Czech Rep, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) could become some of Turkey’s most important partners.