NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence on Friday that Hungary's parliament would swiftly ratify Sweden's accession to the military alliance when it reconvenes at the end of February. - Sweden's membership will make NATO stronger and us safer - emphasized the head of the Alliance. - I hope that Hungary's ratification of Sweden's application to NATO is only a matter of time. This is the interest of not only Poland, the entire alliance, but also Hungary, said the deputy head of Polish diplomacy Andrzej Szejna.
Hungarian President Katalin Novák (L) and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg hold a joint press conference in Brussels, November 2023. Photo by Noemi Bruza/MTI/PAP/EPA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has finally signed a law ratifying Sweden's membership in NATO, which was adopted by the Turkish parliament on Tuesday. Hungary remains the sole Alliance country yet to ratify the accession documents.
"Turkey ratified Sweden's accession to NATO. Now it's our turn," Hungary's President posted on social media on Tuesday. "I urge the prime ministers of Hungary and Sweden to negotiate. My position remains the same: the benefits outweigh the drawbacks when it comes to Sweden's membership," Katalin Novák added.
Sweden's NATO membership application has been pending approval in the Hungarian parliament since the summer of 2022. However, in recent months, Hungary has clarified that they will not be the last NATO member to vote in favor of Sweden's accession. Despite multiple assurances from Hungarian authorities, they ultimately failed to fulfill this promise. Officials in Budapest argued last year that some members of the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition have reservations, citing concerns related to critical remarks made by Swedish politicians about the state of Hungarian democracy. László Kövér, the speaker of the Hungarian parliament, said this week that the issue of Hungary ratifying Sweden's NATO membership is "not urgent." He added that Sweden “has gone to the point of defaming Hungary and its democratically elected government and restricting its room for manoeuvre, which cannot be dismissed.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke this week with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who assured that he supported Sweden's entry into the Alliance and that parliament would consider the matter at the next session. - I received information from Budapest that the parliament will meet at the end of February, so we have to wait. But I am convinced and count on Hungary that ratification will take place when the parliament convenes, said Jens Stoltenberg. "The Hungarian government supports Sweden's membership in NATO," Orban posted on the X service (the platform formerly known as Twitter) after a conversation with the Alliance's chief.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán invited Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to Budapest on Tuesday to discuss his country’s NATO accession and other bilateral issues. The Swedish Prime Minister has accepted Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's invitation to meet and discuss Sweden’s NATO accession and other bilateral matters in Budapest at some point. However, he added that the "more intensive dialogue" may also take place in Brussels next week.
- I hope that Hungary's ratification of Sweden's application to NATO is only a matter of time. This is the interest of not only Poland, the entire alliance, but also Hungary, said the deputy head of Polish diplomacy Andrzej Szejna in an interview for the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
Sweden applied to join the Alliance together with Finland in May 2022, a few months after Russia's attack on Ukraine. The two Nordic countries have thus abandoned their long-standing tradition of neutrality. After seven weeks, accession negotiations took place, which lasted only one day, and then the ambassadors of the Alliance countries signed the accession protocols, thus starting the ratification process.
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