Friendship of peoples of the steppe – how Azerbaijan became one of the most important partners of Hungary

Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Azerbaijan's role in European politics has appreciated at breakneck speed. Over the past decade, Hungary has enjoyed a very good and mutually beneficial relationship with the state in the South Caucasus. This is reflected in the cooperation between the two countries in many areas.

Budapest, 2023. január 30. A Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda által közreadott képen Orbán Viktor miniszterelnök (j) és Ilham Alijev azerbajdzsáni elnök (b) a megbeszélésüket követő közös sajtónyilatkozaton a Karmelita kolostorban 2023. január 30-án. MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher Fotó: Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher

Relations between Azerbaijan and Hungary have been developing steadily over the past three decades and the two countries are strategic partners of each other, said Tahir Taghizadeh, Azerbaijan's ambassador to Hungary. The fruitful relations between Budapest and Baku are reflected in numerous cooperation projects in various fields, from energy to the development of educational and cultural relations.

The history of Azerbaijan is by no means uneventful, even if we only consider the events after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan declared its independence on 18 October 1991, which was recognized by Hungary shortly afterwards, on 26 December 1991. The two countries established diplomatic relations in the autumn of 1992.

Stormy independence

As the Soviet Union collapsed, tensions between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia began to surface, particularly over Nagorno-Karabakh, currently under de facto Armenian rule but de jure considered part of Azerbaijan. The conflict between the two peoples escalated into a full-scale war in 1992. The fighting finally ended with a ceasefire agreement in 1994, and from then on the war continued as a frozen conflict, which continues to define the domestic and foreign policies of both states to this day. 

The First Nagorno-Karabakh War is remembered as a national tragedy in Azerbaijan's history, with the loss of some 16% of its territory and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis.

Azerbaijan's most influential leader, Heydar Aliyev, came to power in the midst of the war that followed the declaration of independence. During the iconic president's tenure, oil production began to take off, which still accounts for a significant portion of the country's revenues. As a result, foreign investors began to take notice of Baku. Aliyev first visited Hungary in 1994, after the first Nagorno-Karabakh war. Shortly before his death in 2003, his son Ilham Aliyev became president. His election was initially marred by protests, but he has since won every election by a landslide.

Under the leadership of Ilham Aliyev, Hungarian-Azerbaijani relations have been revitalized, especially since 2010, with high-level talks between the two countries. The most recent meeting took place in Budapest in January this year, when the Azeri president was received by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Katalin Novak. After the meeting, PM Orban announced that the two countries would further intensify their close and good cooperation, making Azerbaijan a key strategic partner of Hungary.

Azerbajdzsán

 

Europe's savior

The Russia-Ukraine war has highlighted the vulnerability of Europe's energy supply, and this has put Azerbaijan in the spotlight. The January meeting also focused on energy cooperation between Azerbaijan, Hungary and Europe.

At the same time, Mr Orban stressed that although Europe has just become a strategically important country, Hungary and Azerbaijan have a long-standing friendship and are not just "energy friends.” 

The Hungarian Prime Minister said that the only promising answer to the current energy crisis is diversification, and the most realistic scenario is to transport energy from Azerbaijan to Europe. Earlier, in the summer of 2022, during a visit to Baku by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Baku pledged to double the amount of Azerbaijani gas supplied to the region by 2027. This means at least 20 billion cubic meters. This was followed last December by another energy agreement between Azerbaijan and two EU member states - Hungary and Romania - and Georgia. Under this agreement, Azerbaijan will export green electricity to Europe, and the necessary infrastructure will be built with financial support from the European Union. According to an earlier statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, the pipeline under the Black Sea could be built in about three years.”The political will is there, everything else depends on the intentions and demands of our partners," stressed Ilham Aliyev.

Azerbaijan has spent a significant part of its energy export revenues on developing its armed forces, and in 2020 it paid off.

Armenia suffered a strategic defeat in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, as a result of which most of the Azerbaijani territories under Armenian control were regained, and negotiations on a final peace agreement on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh are underway.

In June this year, Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky also visited Baku to see for himself the state of the Azerbaijani army. According to him, the country has a considerable military force and experience that it is worthwhile for Hungarians to get to know.

Brotherly peoples

Baku has ambitious plans for the reconstruction of the Karabakh region. They want to rebuild the whole region in a sustainable way, using available renewable energy sources. This could later benefit EU member states by enabling the country to produce more oil and gas for export. It is therefore not surprising that Brussels and individual member states, are involved in the reconstruction process.

Hungary is ready to assist in the reconstruction of the tormented Karabakh region which has seen a lot of suffering, so that the people of Azerbaijan can rebuild as soon as possible,

said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. This would include the development of transport, the renovation of urban infrastructure and the revival of agriculture. 

Culture and education will also play an important role in relations between Hungary and Azerbaijan. This is illustrated by the fact that Hungary provides 200 scholarships a year for Azeri students to get to know our culture while studying here. The success of the programme is also demonstrated by the huge interest in it. In addition to education, diplomatic relations are also excellent in sports. Azerbaijani students have the opportunity to take part in the Stipendium Hungaricum sports scholarship programme, which provides young people who are genuinely interested in learning about each other's countries and cultures through the values of sport.

Azerbaijan is a founding member of the Organization of Turkic States, where Hungary has been an observer since 2018. At the same time, these countries consider Hungary and the Hungarian people not only partners, but also relatives because of their past. As a result of the Orban government's eastward opening policy, these relations have been further strengthened over the past decade. 

ungary has become a special partner of trust for the Turkic states in the European region, backed by political and serious foreign trade ambitions on all sides.

Janos Hovari, the head of the Representative Office of the Organization of Turkic States in Hungary until his recent death, told Magyar Nemzet last year.

A careful balancing act

Azerbaijan's foreign policy has always been characterized by a careful balancing act. For Baku, the most important thing is that its multi-pronged foreign policy does not cross Moscow's ambitions to the extent that it forces Russia to react. This is why it has multifaceted relations with Moscow - despite being one of Armenia's main allies - as well as with Iran. At the same time, energy cooperation has led to an increasingly close relationship with the European Union, and developments over the past two years have made Brussels more receptive. Azerbaijan's most important ally is Turkey, for cultural, historical and religious reasons, but also as a counterweight to Russian influence in the region. Ankara and Baku see themselves as brothers. It is important to underline that Azerbaijan does not want to join either Russia's economic and defense integration, or the EU and NATO.

Cover photo: Prime Minister Viktor Orban (right) and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (left) at a joint press statement following their meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on 30 January 2023 (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office/Vivien Cher Benko)