Let’s Speak One Language!

Based on the agreement, the employees of the Ministry of Defence and those interested out of the HDF personnel have the opportunity to learn Turkish free of charge.

“To cooperate with NATO allied forces, carry out joint peace support missions and make joint efforts to eliminate international terrorism, it is indispensable that the personnel of the Ministry of Defence and the Hungarian Defence Forces can communicate in the native languages of allied nations as well. Foreign language proficiency contributes to learning about other cultures and also enhances the creation and strengthening of our own national identity”, said Zsolt Kutnyánszki about the importance of knowing the Turkish language.

The state secretary added that the Ministry of Defence is committed to increasing the number of employees with high-level foreign language proficiency as with this, they can contribute to building modern and combat-ready armed forces.

Gülşen Karanis Ekşioğlu, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Budapest, said that the Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Institute was opened in 2013. This year, 105 events were held in 14 towns besides Budapest, within the framework of the Turkish-Hungarian joint cultural season, to bring Turkish culture, music and gastronomy closer to the Hungarian people.

“Our military cooperation is flourishing, and I hope that by learning the Turkish language, we can also bring people closer to each other”, concluded the ambassador.

The agreement was signed by Zsolt Kutnyánszki, MoD State Secretary for Defence Strategy and Human Resources, and Mustafa Aydoğdu, Executive Director of the Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Institute. The originator of the cooperation, Feride Tosun, Turkish military attaché, was also present at the event.