Organized by Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s Center for International Economy, this conference will provide a platform for an in-depth analysis of Hungarian and Turkish relations. 

Türkiye and Hungary maintain a complex and multidimensional relationship rooted in a long-shared history. In recent years, Türkiye has become increasingly important for Hungary, particularly due to the convergence of their approaches and policies on key issues such as illegal migration, the war in Ukraine, energy infrastructure, and trade, along with a shared belief that the two nations are related to one another.

The diversification strategy (Hungary’s Eastern Opening and Southern Opening policies) adds a new political and economic dimension to this relationship, as Türkiye’s dynamic economy and growth potential have the possibility to generate growth spillover effects for the Hungarian economy. 

The visit of Hungary’s Prime Minister’s to Istanbul on 8 December 2025 has provided an opportunity to revisit the main milestones in the development of diplomatic ties between the two countries and to assess the outcomes of the visit, the central theme of this conference. 

 Date: April 27th, 2026

Venue: MCC Székesfehérvár, Táncsics Mihály u. 2, 8000

 

09.30 – 10.00 AM Registration

10.00–10.10 AM Opening Remarks 

Zoltán Szalai, Director General of Mathias Corvinus Collegium

Cavidan Gülsen Karanis Eksioglu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Türkiye to Hungary

 

10.10-10.30 AM Keynote Address 

Cavidan Gülsen Karanis Eksioglu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Türkiye to Hungary

 

10.30-11.30 AM Panel I: A modern history of bilateral relations 

Firat Purtas, Dean of Haci Bayram Veli University

Ömer Faruk Gençkaya, Professor at Istanbul Medipol University

Péter Kövecsi-Oláh, Advisor of the Ludovika Center for Turkic Studies at Ludovika University of Public Service

Zoltán Egeresi, Associate Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, Research Fellow at the National University of Public Services

Moderator: Damille Devenyi, Researcher at the Center for European Studies at MCC

 

11.30 – 12.00 AM Break

 

12.00 – 13.00 PM Panel II: From Bilateral Ties to Strategic Partnership

Emre Saral, Associate Professor at Hacettepe University

Enes Bayrakli, Head of Türkiye Arastirmalari Vakfi

Erzsébet N. Rózsa, Associate Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, Research Fellow at the National University of Public Services

Oguzhan Bilgin, Professor at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University

Moderator: Mariann Őry, Deputy Head of the Center for Asian-Hungarian Relations at MCC

 

13.00 – 14.00 PM  Break

 

14.00 – 15.00 PM Panel III: Trade, Investment, and Energy Cooperation between Hungary and Türkiye

Gábor Papp, Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs

Ibrahim Mammadov, Head of Turkic-Western Engagement Initiative, Visiting Research Fellow at the Danube Institute

Murad Muradov, Deputy Director at the Topchubashov Center

Péter Pál Kránitz, Senior Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs

Şuay Nilhan Açıkalın, Associate Professor at Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University

Moderator: Péter Gergő Kaposvári, Student at MCC’s School of International Relations

 

15.00-16.00 PM Panel IV:Strategic Autonomy and Middle Powers: The Hungary–Türkiye Nexus

Dávid Biró, Senior Advisor, Research and Academic Network Lead of the Ludovika Center for Turkic Studies at the National University of Public Service

László Csicsman, Professor at Corvinus University

Mehmet Ugur Ekinci, Researcher at the SETA Foundation

Ömer Faruk Karaman, Researcher at Onsekiz Mart University

Moderator: Jázmin Anna Komjáti, Student at MCC’s School of International Relations

 

16.00 – 16.10 PM Closing Remarks

Csaba Moldicz, Head of the School of International Relations at MCC