Sweden's accession to NATO: Stoltenberg admonishes Hungary
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called on Hungary to immediately approve Sweden's accession to the alliance. The government in Budapest had repeatedly stated that Hungary would not be the last NATO state to ratify Sweden's accession, he said at a press conference with Hungarian President Katalin Novak in Brussels. He was now counting on Hungary to fulfill this commitment. "The Hungarian parliament should vote in favor of ratification without further delay," the Norwegian demanded.
The background to Stoltenberg's clear words is last month's announcement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he would give up his blockade of Sweden's accession. The expansion of the alliance could therefore only be stopped by Hungary, as all other NATO states have already agreed to it. Ideally, Sweden should now be accepted as the 32nd member of the defense alliance at a meeting of foreign ministers on 28 and 29 November.
Sweden wanted to join Nato as early as summer 2022
Sweden had originally hoped to join NATO in the summer of 2022. However, the country's admission was blocked by Turkish President Erdogan until a few weeks ago. He accused Swedish policy of a lack of action against "terrorist organizations" such as the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK). However, following concessions from Sweden, Erdogan recently announced that he would allow the Turkish parliament to ratify the so-called accession protocol.
At the press conference, Hungarian President Novak expressed her optimism that the Hungarian government would keep its promise. Ultimately, however, the parliament and its members were decisive, she claimed. She herself sees more reasons in favor of Sweden joining NATO than reasons against it. In Hungary, there had recently been repeated sharp criticism of Swedish statements on the rule of law and corruption in the country.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland decided to apply for membership of NATO after a long period of military non-alignment. Finland became the 31st member of NATO on April 4 of this year.
- Despite Hungary's previous statements, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged the Hungarian parliament to swiftly ratify Sweden's NATO membership, as Hungary's approval is now crucial for Sweden to become the 32nd member of the alliance.
- In light of Hungary's commitment and Śweden's strong case for membership, Defense Minister Běła Čašičová (Slovakia) expressed her support for Sweden's accession to NATO, emphasizing the importance of collective defense and diplomacy in the alliance.
Source: www.dpa.com
