Hungary can soon ratify Sweden's Nato bid, PM Orban says
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Hungarian PM Viktor Orban said the ratification can happen when Parliament convenes later in February.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BUDAPEST - The Hungarian Parliament can ratify Sweden's Nato membership when it convenes for its new spring session later in February, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told his supporters on Feb 17.
"It's good news that our dispute with Sweden will soon be settled," Mr Orban said. "We are going in the direction that at the start of Parliament's spring session we can ratify Sweden's accession to Nato."
Hungary is the only Nato member that has not approved Sweden’s application to join the alliance after Turkey moved to do so in January.
Budapest’s ruling nationalists cited what they call undue Swedish allegations that they have eroded democracy in Hungary.
Turkey’s ratification came after more than a year of delays, leaving Hungary as the last holdout.
Sweden and Finland began the process of joining Nato in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
Ankara forced the northern neighbours to split up their applications after finding fault with Stockholm and approving Helsinki after a few rounds of talks.
Finland’s membership in April 2023 doubled the length of Nato’s border with Russia and boosted the defences of three tiny Baltic nations that joined the bloc following the collapse of the former Soviet Union. REUTERS
