Former deputy governor Coşkun Irvalı and President of the Association of Tekirdağ Businessmen Erdoğan Erken initiated the invitation of a folk dance group from Hungary to the annual Cherry Festival of the city in 1976 as the Museum of Franciscus II Rákóczi is located in the city. This was the first step in furthering of Turkish-Hungarian connections.

Since 1976, frequent cultural interactions have been established: after the Ministerial level visit in the 1980s, the opening of an honorary consular office started to be discussed. In the early 1980s, thanks to the continuous efforts of Ferenc Rutkai, then Deputy Minister of Culture in Hungary, the position of an honorary consul was officially established.

The Embassy of Hungary in Ankara requested the position in a written form in 1989, and after the approvals by the Hungarian and Turkish Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the President of Turkey, the position became official.

Retired businessman Erdoğan Erken has been the Honorary Consul of Hungary in Tekirdağ since then.

Mr. Erdoğan was presented the Hungarian Order of Merit by the Árpád Göncz, President of Hungary. Due to the efforts of the Honorary Consul, a Turkish-Hungarian friendship and cultural bridge emerged in the past decades. Hungarian cities of Sárospatak and Kecskemét are now sister cities of Tekirdağ, regularly hosting cultural meetings.