Competition authorities of the Organization of Turkic States held talks in Hungary and signed a joint communiqué

Budapest, 29 April 2025 – The competition authorities of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held a presidential-level meeting at the headquarters of the Hungarian Competition Authority (Gazdasági Versenyhivatal - GVH). The meeting was attended by heads of the national competition authorities of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Hungary, which has observer status in the cooperation. Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the GVH, emphasized: "We strive for openness and mutual dialogue with the competition authorities of the Organization of Turkic States." The expert discussions covered topics such as the rise of artificial intelligence, effective action against cartels, and the fight against inflation.

The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) is an international organization comprising several Turkic-speaking countries, founded on the 3rd of October 2009. Its current members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. Hungary has been an observer member of the council since the 3rd of September 2018. Based on the initiative of the Turkish competition authority, a formal cooperation platform between the competition authorities of the OTS member states was established in Istanbul on the 23rd of January 2024, with the aim of, among other things:

  • promoting cooperation in the field of competition policy enforcement,
  • facilitating favourable conditions for the development of regional cooperation,
  • and encouraging knowledge-sharing, especially with regard to investigative, regulatory, enforcement, and technical experiences.

The Hungarian Competition Authority has also joined the cooperation as an observer.

In order to further strengthen cooperation between the competition authorities of the OTS countries, the GVH organized an official presidential-level meeting in Hungary on the 29th of April 2025. In addition to the Hungarian Competition Authority, the event was attended by the presidents and high-level representatives of the competition authorities of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

In his opening speech, Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the GVH, emphasized: "Hungary – and thus the Hungarian Competition Authority in relation to competition law – acts as a bridge between East and West. We strive for cooperation and dialogue based on mutual respect. We believe that openness and connectivity, rather than isolation and fragmentation, can help us find the right answers for cross-border, global challenges.”

The participants were welcomed by Boglárka Illés, State Secretary for bilateral relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Külgazdasági és Külügyminisztérium, KKM). She emphasized: „In light of Hungary’s „Eastern Opening Strategy,” the Organization of Turkic States, its member and observer states, and its related institutions – such as the cooperation between the competition authorities of the Organization of Turkic States – have been increasingly becoming significant in Hungarian foreign policy.” It is an especially pivotal principle for us to maintain balanced, mutually beneficial, and friendly relations with both our eastern and western partners.” (…) We are pleased to see that Hungary’s connection with the Turkic world has been steadily advancing, with great hopes that our partnership will yield significant results in the years to come.”

The meeting was attended and addressed by Elnur Baghirov, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Competition Authority, Zhenaly Orozbaev, Chairman of the Kyrgyz Competition Authority, Birol Küle, President of the Turkish Competition Authority, Bolat Sambetov, Deputy Chairman of the Kazakh Competition Authority, Farrukh Karabaev, Deputy Chairman of the Uzbek Competition Authority, as well as Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the OTS of Kyrgyz nationality. The event was also attended by Balázs Hendrich, Executive director of the Hungarian Representation of OTS, and diplomats from the foreign embassies of the countries concerned.

During the expert consultation, participants discussed two main topics. First, they explored the competition policy implications, issues, and experiences of artificial intelligence (AI). Participants learned about the GVH's comprehensive market analysis conducted in 2024 on AI technologies from the perspective of competition law, competitiveness and consumer protection. The second half of the event focused on the fight against cartels. Representatives of the competition authorities shared their experiences in uncovering prohibited agreements restricting competition.

During the discussions, the challenges posed by inflationary shocks were also addressed. Representatives of the competition authorities of the OTS countries were able to gain insight into the GVH's accelerated sectoral inquiries, as well as the online Price Monitoring System operated by the GVH. Several representatives of competition authorities expressed keen interest in the Hungarian solutions for strengthening market competition and price transparency.

The participants of the presidential-level meeting held in Hungary also signed a joint communiqué. They declared that they would continue and intensify their mutual dialogue, focusing primarily on areas that contribute to strengthening the economic competitiveness and integration of the countries participating in the competition policy cooperation, as well as their social welfare. They will pay particular attention to the challenges of digitization and the protection of vulnerable consumers, especially children, the elderly, the sick, and families.

GVH Press

Further information:

Bálint Horváth, Head of Communication +36 20 238 6939

Katalin Gondolovics, Spokesperson +36 30 603 1170