NATO calls on Hungary to give Sweden the green light.

The US and NATO have just overcome the "most difficult hurdle" in Sweden's accession to NATO after the Turkish President approved it on January 25th. Immediately following this move, Türkiye also received good news from the US State Department, which approved a contract to sell F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, worth up to $23 billion.

However, not all obstacles have been removed. For Sweden to become the 32nd member of NATO, it still needs one final vote from Hungary. Over the past two days, this country has been repeatedly mentioned by the US and NATO.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at a press conference in Stockholm in March 2023. (Photo: Reuters)

White House spokesman John Kirby emphasized: “I want to take a moment to welcome Turkey’s acceptance of Sweden’s NATO membership application this week. As we know, the Turkish parliament has voted to approve the terms and ratify the decision.”

President Erdogan has also signed those documents, and we expect the ratification documents to be delivered to us soon for safekeeping at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , in accordance with proper procedure.

We also urge Hungary to expedite its process so that the alliance can welcome Sweden into NATO without further delay. We are very optimistic that Sweden will soon become the newest member of NATO.”

Earlier that day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed hope that the Hungarian Parliament would ratify the protocol admitting Sweden into the military alliance when it reconvenes at the end of February.

“I spoke with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban earlier this week. He made it very clear that he supports Sweden joining NATO and also made it clear that parliament will consider the matter as soon as it convenes.”

The message is that the Hungarian parliament will then support the ratification of Sweden's membership. I have complete confidence in Hungary when parliament reconvenes at the end of February,” Secretary-General Stoltenberg said.

Meanwhile, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has proposed meeting his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban in Belgium next week, on the sidelines of the European Council meeting, to further discuss the issue.

The Swedish Prime Minister stated that his country would not make any new promises to NATO, including to Hungary. However, he also indicated that Sweden and Hungary have many things to discuss, including cooperation within NATO, Hungary's upcoming EU presidency, support for Ukraine, and how to achieve the broadest possible cooperation from the Swedish air force.

According to political expert Zoltan Pogatsa, Hungary's "delay" in ratifying Sweden's NATO membership highlights the importance of a vote from a member state that has repeatedly faced Western criticism regarding issues of democracy, the rule of law, and corruption.

In fact, the Hungarian government has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the "unwarranted" statements from Sweden, which it claims undermine Hungarian democracy.

Furthermore, Hungary maintains that the conflict in Ukraine does not pose any security threat to Sweden – one of the reasons Sweden cited for joining NATO.

Nevertheless, the Hungarian Prime Minister recently invited his Swedish counterpart to visit the country, expressing his willingness to support Sweden's entry into NATO "in the near future".

Dinh Nam (VOV1)

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