Erdogan-Orban: The strong alliance

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Budapest on Monday to meet with his Hungarian ally, Viktor Orban, and likely discuss Sweden's accession to NATO, which the two countries have yet to ratify.

During this second visit in a few months, a sign of the close relationship between the two leaders, the Turkish head of state received military honors on Heroes' Square in the heart of the capital before a meeting with President Katalin Novak.

He will then hold talks with the Hungarian Prime Minister.

On the agenda for discussions is "the deepening of bilateral cooperation," according to the Turkish presidency, precisely 100 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

The Swedish candidacy for the Atlantic Alliance will likely also be discussed.

Mr. Erdogan, who finally agreed to lift his veto in July, has recently conditioned Turkey's ratification on a "simultaneous" approval by the U.S. Congress of the sale of F-16 aircraft to Turkey.

Hungary, on the other hand, has expressed its support in principle but has been dragging its feet for months. In September, Mr. Orban stated that there was "no urgency" in holding the vote, demanding "respect" from the Nordic country first.

Budapest calls on Stockholm to stop its policy of "denigration" and its regular remarks about shortcomings in the rule of law by the Orban government.

Viktor Orban has engaged in numerous confrontations with Brussels and Western partners in recent years while pursuing a policy of opening up to the East.

As the only leader in the European Union to maintain close ties with the Kremlin despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he has also drawn closer to Turkey, China, and the countries of Central Asia.