Hungary Delays Approval Session for Sweden’s NATO Membership
Hungary Opposes Sweden’s NATO Membership, Says Opposition Party
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his party, the Hungarian Citizens’ Union (Fidesz), are not planning to support Sweden’s membership in NATO, according to Agnes Vadai, deputy of the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) party. In a statement on social media, Vadai expressed her concerns about Orban and Fidesz’s decision ahead of the upcoming approval session.
Vadai’s statement was backed by another DK MP, who confirmed that the approval session has been postponed until autumn. This delay reflects the growing tensions surrounding Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
Meanwhile, a high-level meeting on the matter is scheduled for July 6 in Brussels. The meeting will be attended by the foreign ministers of Turkey, Sweden, and Finland. With Finland set to attend a NATO summit as a member for the first time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized the urgency of completing Sweden’s membership process before the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11-12.
Stoltenberg recently proposed a high-level meeting between Turkey, Sweden, and Finland at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Confirming that the meeting will take place “next week on Thursday,” he stressed the significance of addressing Sweden’s membership concerns promptly.
The opposition party’s stance, coupled with Hungary’s opposition, adds further complexity to Sweden’s NATO membership aspirations. As autumn approaches, Sweden’s approval session for NATO membership promises to be a critical and well-debated topic among key stakeholders both within and outside the country.
