The informal Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held in Hungary’s capital Budapest went down in history as the first summit held in an observer state in the organization’s history. This meeting also highlighted Hungary’s role in strengthening economic and political relations with the Turkic states. Vusala Jafarova, Head of the Turkic World Research Center (TWRC) of the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication, said that the heads of state of OTS member and observer countries who attended the summit discussed issues of developing cooperation in areas such as economic integration, energy security and digital transformation. At this summit, Azerbaijan once again demonstrated its leadership in the formation of regional economic policy, its significant position in the fields of trade, energy and innovation.
Vusala Jafarova noted that the volume of investments made by Azerbaijan in OTS member states exceeded 20 billion US dollars, which indicates the country’s growing influence within the organization. Azerbaijan plays a key role in facilitating trade flows and regional integration as a strategic gateway between Central Asia, Turkey and Europe. In 2024, Azerbaijan’s railway transit capacity reached 11 million tons, while the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway had a capacity of 5 million tons. This progress is supported by major infrastructure projects in Azerbaijan, such as 50 merchant ships in the Caspian Sea, the Alat International Sea Trade Port and 8 international airports, which strengthen the country’s role as an important logistics hub. Azerbaijan also plays a key role in the development of a single digital platform called the “Digital Transport Corridor”, which simplifies customs, phytosanitary and border controls, reducing transit times and costs along the corridor.
Energy cooperation was another key topic of the summit. The Turkic world’s rich energy resources, from natural gas to renewable energy sources, have great potential for regional cooperation. In addition to building pipelines and power transmission lines, Azerbaijan is also investing in solar and wind energy projects. Activities in these areas aim to increase the resilience of OTS member states to fluctuations in the global energy market.
The summit was preceded by a meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. In recent years, a strong strategic partnership has developed between the two countries in political, economic and regional security issues. The “Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Hungary” signed in 2014 and the “Joint Declaration on Enhanced Strategic Partnership” signed in 2023 have further deepened bilateral relations. Trade between the two countries has grown rapidly, and in the first three months of 2025, trade turnover reached 14.55 million US dollars. Direct investments from Hungary into the Azerbaijani economy have exceeded 1 billion US dollars.
The Hungarian company MOL Group’s share in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli field and its participation in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as the gas contracts signed between SOCAR and MVM, strengthen Azerbaijani-Hungarian energy cooperation. Hungary supports Azerbaijan’s green energy strategy, especially through its active participation in the Southern Gas Corridor project. It plays an active role in the new submarine cable project to be laid under the Black Sea to transport renewable energy produced in the Caspian and South Caucasus to Europe.
Hungary’s support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and participation in the restoration of liberated territories provide additional impetus to strengthening bilateral cooperation. Hungary’s contribution of $100 million to the Turkish Investment Fund as an observer state of the OTS once again demonstrates its support for the economic development of the region. Cooperation in the energy sector, such as the Hungarian company MOL Group’s acquisition of a share in the Rozhkovsky gas field in Kazakhstan, demonstrates the deepening of relations between the two regions.
The head of the TWRC added that the Budapest Summit is the second informal OTS summit after the Karabakh Summit held in Azerbaijan in 2024. The Karabakh Declaration was adopted at that summit and laid the foundation for many initiatives discussed in Budapest, continuing Azerbaijan’s leadership in improving the economic agenda of the OTS. The Budapest Summit is an important step in deepening economic cooperation within the OTS. The Budapest Declaration once again emphasized the prospects and strategic directions of the Organization of Turkic States
