The Hungarian parliament is not yet ready to ratify Sweden’s application for NATO membership, as the issue will not be on the agenda of the next parliamentary session, despite previous expectations and assurances, MP Ágnes Vadai said on Wednesday.
It’s been a year and a half since Sweden decided to apply for NATO membership, and despite Budapest’s promise not to be the last to ratify Sweden’s application, it seems inevitable as Turkey , the other last non-signatory country, is getting closer to signing.
Progress is being made in Ankara, with the parliamentary foreign affairs committee due to vote on the issue on Thursday. Ratification by the Turkish parliament could then take place quickly.
According to our information, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to bring positive news to Berlin on Friday, where he will meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Meanwhile, when the Hungarian parliament meets next week in Budapest, this issue will not be on the agenda because the Hungarian parliament is not ready to ratify Sweden’s candidacy for NATO, a MP Ágnes Vadai confirmed to the press on Wednesday.
Earlier, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Hungary’s approval through parliamentary ratification was a mere formality, as the issue had already been discussed and handled in committees.
Recently, the vote has been postponed several times. Hungarian politicians are demanding an explanation for criticism of the country’s democratic development, similar to concerns expressed by many other European politicians.
The Swedish government, however, is convinced that Hungary will receive more assurances.
“We have not discussed it today, but the message has always been the same: Hungary should not be the last country to ratify the Swedish candidacy,” Defense Minister Pål Jonson said in Brussels on Tuesday.
However, Budapest has been a thorn in NATO’s side when it comes to Alliance enlargement and support for Ukraine other than non-lethal aid.
Hungary has been criticized for expanding its energy ties with Moscow as the war in Ukraine continues, repeatedly calling for peace, demanding that Kiev uphold high standards of minority protection in exchange for the creation of a Council NATO-Ukraine and suspending the disbursement of EU funds. for the country.
(Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com)
