NATO Secretary General admonishes Hungary
Sweden's accession to NATO has still not been ratified in Hungary. Secretary General Stoltenberg is therefore calling for more speed - and reminding the EU country of a pledge it has made several times.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called on Hungary to ratify Sweden's accession to the defense alliance "without further delay". The Hungarian government had repeatedly stated that Hungary would not be the last member to ratify Sweden's accession, Stoltenberg said on the fringes of talks with Hungarian President Katalin Novák in Brussels. "Now I am counting on Hungary to fulfill this commitment," he reiterated.
Sweden, like its neighbor Finland, had applied for NATO membership in response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in May last year. While Finland was already accepted into the defense alliance in April, Sweden's membership has so far failed due to the veto of Hungary and Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially submitted Sweden's application for NATO membership to parliament last month. Novák said that she personally supported Sweden's accession, but that it was up to the parliament to approve it. "Some Hungarian MPs argue that Sweden has condemned or condemned the functioning of the Hungarian parliament in quite clear terms," said the close confidante of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
In the afternoon, Stoltenberg will be received by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery in Berlin for a working visit. According to a government spokesperson, the focus will be on current security and defense policy issues. Following the working visit, Stoltenberg will speak at the NATO Cyber Security Conference at the Federal Foreign Office. According to the defense alliance, this is the first comprehensive cyber defense conference to bring together decision-makers at a political, military and technical level.
- Hungary's delay in ratifying Sweden's accession to NATO has been a point of contention for Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who repeatedly urges Hungary to fulfill its commitment and ratify Sweden's membership without further delay.
- The Russian attack on Ukraine last year prompted both Sweden and its neighbor Finland to apply for NATO membership, with Finland's membership already approved in April, but Sweden's membership still pending due to the vetoes of Hungary and Turkey.
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's close confidante mentioned that some Hungarian MPs have raised concerns about Sweden's perceived criticism of the Hungarian parliament, which could potentially impact Hungary's decision-making regarding Sweden's NATO membership.
Source: www.ntv.de
