Hungary is one of the last two remaining NATO members – the other being Turkey – that has not yet given the go-ahead for the Nordic state to join the Atlantic alliance.
The Hungarian parliament must ratify “as soon as possible” the admission of Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday in Brussels.
“The sooner the better,” Mr. Stoltenberg replied when asked about it during a joint press conference with the president of Hungary, Katalin Novak, whose country is one of the last two remaining members of NATO – the other being Turkey – which has not yet given the green light for the Scandinavian state’s accession to the Atlantic alliance.
“Hungary has repeatedly said that it will not be the last country to ratify Sweden’s admission,” the Norwegian explained.
“I now expect Hungary to honor this commitment. The Hungarian parliament must ratify (Sweden’s admission) without further delay,” Mr Stoltenberg insisted.
Ms. Novak – whose role is practically ceremonial – for her part assured that her country’s position has not changed. She said she had discussed the issue with nationalist populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán before her trip to Brussels.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted Sweden’s NATO accession protocol to his own country’s parliament in October, which now also has to ratify it.
Sweden and Finland, abandoning their decades-long policy of neutrality, submitted requests to join NATO after Russia’s military invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Finland formally became the 31st member of the military alliance in April.
Source :Skai
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