“Turkish-Hungarian Relations from Past to Present” Discussed at Symposium Organized by TİKA

The “Turkish-Hungarian Relations from Past to Present” symposium was held by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in 2024, which was declared as the “Turkish-Hungarian Culture Year”.

The symposium was held at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) on April 18, 2024.

The Republic of Türkiye’s Ambassador to Budapest, Gülşen Karanis Ekşioğlu; TİKA’s Head of Departments in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, Muhammed Ünal, along with many historians and academicians from Türkiye and Hungary attended the symposium.

Giving the opening speech of the symposium, TİKA’s Head of Departments in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, Ünal stated that as TİKA, they will implement four projects within the scope of the Turkish-Hungarian Culture Year to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries also in the cultural field.

Ünal expressed his gladness for bringing together academics who carry out precious studies on history, language and our shared cultural values both in Türkiye and Hungary.

The Republic of Türkiye’s Ambassador to Budapest, Ekşioğlu noted that they are proud that the friendly relations between the two states, which were reestablished with the Treaty of Friendship signed in Istanbul on December 18, 1923, continue without decelerating as they approach their 100^th anniversary.

Historian and Writer Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, Prof. Dr. Pál Fodor, Prof. Dr. Géza Dávid, Prof. Dr. Sandor Papp, who are experts in their fields, gave presentations at the symposium, where Turkish-Hungarian relations were thoroughly discussed.

The symposium ended with the presentation of plaques to the academics participating from Türkiye and Hungary.

Presentations given at the symposium

At the symposium, Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı gave a presentation on “Hungary and Being Ottoman: The Evaluation of Reforms”; Prof. Dr. Géza Dávid on “Districts (Kaza) and Subdistricts (Nahiye) in Ottoman Hungary”; Prof. Dr. Mária Ivanics on “Auxiliaries of the Ottoman Army: Tatars”; Prof. Dr. Pál Fodor on “Echoes of Ottoman-Safavid Wars in the Early 16^th Century in a Contemporary Hungarian Historical Epic”; Prof. Dr. Sándor Papp on “Zülfikar Efendi, the Hungarian Head Translator of the Imperial Council (Dîvân-ı Hümâyun) and His Connections in Istanbul”; Doç. Dr. Özgür Kolçak on “Hungary in Ottoman Narratives”; Prof. Dr. Melek Çolak on “Hungarian Experts in Türkiye during Atatürk’s Era”; Dr. Gábor Fodor on “First Hungarians of the Republic of Türkiye: The Example of Levente Wágner”; Doç. Dr. Yücel Namal on “Turkish-Hungarian Diplomatic Visits during the Republican Era”; Doç. Dr. Emre Saral on “The Role of Hungarians in Forming the Turkish National Identity”; Dr. Yunus Kobal on “Efforts to Establish Order in Türkiye and Hungary after the First World War”; Dr. Zoltán Egeresi on “Turkish-Hungarian Relations from 2010 to Present” and Dr. Türkan Özkan on “Hungary-Türkiye Relations in the Context of Ensuring Peace and Security in the International Area: Partnerships and Future Forecasts”.