Hungary to approve Sweden’s accession to NATO
January 26th, 2024A leading aid to PM Orbán denied allegations that Hungary’s approval of Sweden’s membership of the Atlantic Alliance depends on Turkey’s position.
In an interview with the opposition-leaning ATV TV station, Balázs Orbán who serves as political director in the Prime Minister’s office said the government has always supported Sweden’s request to join NATO and submitted a draft resolution to that effect to Parliament eighteen months ago. The problem was, he continued, that the mutual trust indispensible between allies is put in jeopardy when one side ’casts aspersions’ on the other. This is why Hungary suggested consultations with Sweden, he added. That has nothing to do with Turkey’s demands on Sweden and the US before the Turkish Parliament rarified Sweden’s NATO membership earlier this week, Balázs Orbán suggested. Hungary has not yet done so, he said, because the work schedule of the Hungharian Parliament is different from the one in Turkey. Parliament is scheduled to start its next session on February 26.