Orban urges Hungarian parliament to ratify Sweden's NATO application
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Photo: Getty Images)
The government of Hungary calls on the parliament to ratify Sweden's NATO membership application as soon as possible, according to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, and the Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg.
Information from Stoltenberg
Stoltenberg informed that he had a conversation with Orban. He welcomed the Prime Minister's and his government's explicit support for Sweden's NATO membership.
"I look forward to the ratification as soon as parliament reconvenes," Stoltenberg wrote.
Information from Orbán
Orban stated that his government supports Sweden's NATO membership.
"I also stressed that we will continue to urge the Hungarian National Assembly to vote in favor of Sweden's accession and conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity," Orbán wrote.
Sweden's accession to NATO
Sweden's NATO membership is expected in about one and a half years. Stockholm had planned to join the Alliance with Finland, but Finland joined NATO in June 2023, and all NATO countries, except Hungary, ratified Sweden's application.
Budapest promised not to be the last to ratify Sweden's application. However, the voting in the Hungarian parliament has been postponed several times. Hungarian politicians demand explanations regarding criticism of the country's democratic development, similar to concerns expressed by many other European politicians.
Yesterday, the Turkish parliament ratified Sweden's NATO accession application.
