KOCAELI
Hungary's Ambassador in Ankara Janos Hovari on Monday said, "The Ottomans helped us very much."
Stating that historical relations between Hungary and Turkey carried great importance however, the future of the relations were more important, Hovari said that they wanted to develop their relations with Turkey and work on concrete projects.
Hovari visited Ercan Topaca, governor of Turkey's northwestern province of Kocaeli, with Hungary's Consul General in Istanbul and emphasized the importance of Kocaeli to Hungarians.
"Refugees came from Hungary 310 years ago. We lost many things, the Ottomans lost many things in central Europe in the 17th century. The Ottomans supported us a lot. Count Imre Thokoly and his wife sought refuge in Izmit (Kocaeli) and died here. Izmit was the center for the Hungarian refugees. There is a museum built for the Thokoly couple in Izmit. We would like to establish new bonds between Turkey and Hungary."
