Borrel criticised Orban for visiting the summit of Turkic states in Shusha

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel said that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban did not receive a mandate to represent the EU at the summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS). Viktor Orban arrived in the city of Shusha on 5 July to attend the summit.

“Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s participation at the informal summit of the Organisation of Turkic States in Shusha on 5-6 July took place, exclusively, in the framework of the bilateral relations between Hungary and this organisation.

Hungary is now the EU Member State serving the rotating presidency of the Council until 31 December 2024. That does not entail any external representation of the Union which is the responsibility of the President of the European Council at the Head of State or Government level and of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at Ministerial level.

Hungary has not received any mandate from the EU Council to advance the relations with the Organisation of Turkic States.

The European Union rejects the attempts by the Organisation of Turkic States to legitimise the Turkish Cypriot secessionist entity, the so-called, internationally not recognised, “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, as an observer in the Organisation of Turkic States. This decision, pending ratification of Organisation’s members, is regrettable and is contradicting the fact that several members of the Organisation expressed strong support to the principle of territorial integrity and the UN Charter.

The EU has made it repeatedly clear, including at highest political level, that the EU recognises only the Republic of Cyprus as a subject of international law, in accordance with the respective UN Security Council Resolutions”,- reads that statement.