President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday held a phone call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on the occasion of the latter’s 61st birthday. The two leaders also discussed a wide range of topics, from bilateral relations to regional and global issues, the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications said in a statement.

Erdoğan wished success to Hungary for its term presidency of the European Union and highlighted that Budapest’s support for Türkiye’s EU accession process was important.

Accession talks have stalled in recent years over a number of disagreements and political roadblocks. Türkiye suggests it has fulfilled most of the criteria for membership. Though the accession process stalled, Türkiye has remained a key economic and defense partner for the 27-member bloc.

Since the start of summer, Ankara and the bloc have been working to rekindle ties, which, for many years, have operated not toward mutual trust and strategic goals but only out of necessity.

Türkiye has the longest history with the union and the most prolonged accession process, which only officially started in 2005 despite the first agreement being signed with the EU’s predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1964.

Relations between Türkiye and Hungary were elevated to the level of strategic partnership in 2013 after establishing the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. The friendly ties have gained momentum in every field in recent years.