Following Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland expressed interest in joining NATO, as the situation in the region has become more concerning. On April 4th, 2023, Finland became a member of the Alliance after an 11-month process. Meanwhile, Sweden's membership was still in progress and facing obstacles from Hungary, which is currently the only NATO member that has not yet ratified Stockholm's membership inthe world's largest military alliance.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has told his supporters that the Hungarian parliament can ratify Sweden’s NATO membership when it convenes for its new session later this month, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
“It’s good news that our dispute with Sweden will soon be settled,” Orban said in his state-of-the-nation address on Saturday in Budapest, adding, “We are going in the direction that at the start of parliament’s spring session we can ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO.”
Orban highlighted that he and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had taken steps “to rebuild trust” between the two countries. But he did not say what those steps were, IAR reported.
Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022 in a historic shift in policy prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo visited Warsaw on Friday, where the two leaders discussed security concerns for their countries, the European Union, and NATO members. The meeting also underscored a strengthening of bilateral cooperation in border protection and the development of the defense industry.
(aj)
SOURCE: IAR