Turkish PM calls for closer economic ties with Hungary

Visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called for closer economic ties between his country and Hungary. Erdogan made the remark at a news conference he held here with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban following a meeting between the two. Erdogan said Hungary and Turkey were cooperating in the military field as NATO allies. He also expressed thanks to Hungary for its permanent support for Turkey's EU accession. Orban praised Turkey for having done a good job of consolidating its economy and said he was ready to agree to Erdogon's proposal to set up a bilateral strategic council at the highest level to promote an ongoing relationship between the two countries. He also liked the idea of establishing a working group that would focus on energy issues, he said. Both officials said their countries were committed to boosting trade, agreeing that they could double the current level and reach a value of 5 billion U.S. dollars by 2015. Addressing a Hungarian-Turkish business forum in Budapest later in the day, Erdogan said his country supported Hungary's policy of opening up towards the East. That strategy has already been beneficial to Turkey, he said.