©(Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP)
Hungary's parliament approved Sweden's NATO membership bid on Monday, removing the last hurdle for the military alliance's expansion driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Hungary's parliament on Monday ratified Sweden's bid to join NATO, clearing the final obstacle for an enlargement of the military alliance spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The vote ends more than a year of delays that left fellow NATO partners furious as Ukraine battled Russian troops.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hailed a "historic day," while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Sweden will make the alliance "stronger and safer."
The United States also welcomed the vote to admit Sweden to NATO by Hungary. "We certainly do welcome the vote in the Hungarian parliament today and look forward to it being finalized," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
Russia's February 2022 invasion prompted Sweden and neighboring Finland to apply to join the bloc, ending a long-standing stance of non-alignment in both countries.
Speaking about Russia's potential reaction at a press conference, Kristersson said, "The only thing we can expect with any certainty is that they don't like Sweden becoming a member of NATO, nor Finland."
While Finland became the 31st member of the US-led defense alliance in April last year, Sweden's bid had been held up. Turkey only ratified it last month.
On Monday, Hungary finally followed, with 188 members of Parliament voting in favor and six against Sweden's accession.
Stoltenberg welcomed Sweden as the 32nd NATO ally, saying its "membership will make us all stronger and safer."
Earlier Monday, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban had asked lawmakers to approve Sweden's bid.
"The Swedish-Hungarian military cooperation and Sweden's accession to NATO will strengthen Hungary's security," Orban told Parliament.
Now that Parliament has approved the Nordic nation's bid, the President is expected to sign it in the coming days.
Sweden will then be invited to accede to the Washington Treaty and officially become NATO's 32nd member.
Going forward, "Nordic countries will have a common defense for the first time in 500 years... we remain friends, and we become allies," Kristersson told a press conference later.
Though repeatedly saying it supported Swedish membership in principle, Hungary kept prolonging the process by asking Stockholm to stop "vilifying" the Hungarian government.
Budapest accused Swedish officials of being "keen to bash Hungary" on rule-of-law issues.
Hungary also signed a deal to acquire four Swedish-made fighter jets, expanding its existing fleet of 14 Jas-39 Gripen fighters.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, most NATO members were keen to quickly approve the membership bids of both Finland and Sweden.
For Sweden, Ankara cited security concerns, before moving ahead with the ratification.
In Hungary's delay, some experts saw a strategy to wring concessions from Brussels to unlock billions of euros in frozen funds.
Others argued it underlined Orban's closeness to the presidents of Russia and Turkey.
For analyst Mate Szalai of Venice's Ca' Foscari University, Orban was simply playing to his domestic audience.
"Orban wanted to go as far as he could without causing serious problems to the Transatlantic community while proving that Hungary is a power to be reckoned with," he told AFP.
While Hungary's "confrontational behavior" did not reap any tangible results, it might have "been beneficial domestically for the ruling Fidesz party," he added.
"Many initiatives of the Hungarian government are designed to provoke a backlash in Europe," said Szalai.
"And most criticism expressed towards the Orban government (from outside Hungary) actually helps Fidesz to maintain its popularity in the country."
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
Hungary's parliament on Monday ratified Sweden's bid to join NATO, clearing the final obstacle for an enlargement of the military alliance spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The vote ends more than a year of delays that left fellow NATO partners furious as Ukraine battled Russian troops.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hailed a "historic day," while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Sweden will make the alliance "stronger and safer."
Russia's February 2022 invasion prompted Sweden and neighboring Finland to apply to join the bloc, ending a long-standing stance of non-alignment in both countries.
Speaking about Russia's potential reaction at a press conference, Kristersson said, "The only thing we can expect with any certainty is that they don't like Sweden becoming a member of NATO, nor Finland."
While Finland became the 31st member of the US-led defense alliance in April last year, Sweden's bid had been held up. Turkey only ratified it last month.
On Monday, Hungary finally followed, with 188 members of Parliament voting in favor and six against Sweden's accession.
Stoltenberg welcomed Sweden as the 32nd NATO ally, saying its "membership will make us all stronger and safer."
Earlier Monday, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban had asked lawmakers to approve Sweden's bid.
"The Swedish-Hungarian military cooperation and Sweden's accession to NATO will strengthen Hungary's security," Orban told Parliament.
Now that Parliament has approved the Nordic nation's bid, the President is expected to sign it in the coming days.
Sweden will then be invited to accede to the Washington Treaty and officially become NATO's 32nd member.
Going forward, "Nordic countries will have a common defense for the first time in 500 years... we remain friends, and we become allies," Kristersson told a press conference later.
'Confrontational Behavior'
Though repeatedly saying it supported Swedish membership in principle, Hungary kept prolonging the process by asking Stockholm to stop "vilifying" the Hungarian government.
Budapest accused Swedish officials of being "keen to bash Hungary" on rule-of-law issues.
Hungary also signed a deal to acquire four Swedish-made fighter jets, expanding its existing fleet of 14 Jas-39 Gripen fighters.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, most NATO members were keen to quickly approve the membership bids of both Finland and Sweden.
For Sweden, Ankara cited security concerns, before moving ahead with the ratification.
In Hungary's delay, some experts saw a strategy to wring concessions from Brussels to unlock billions of euros in frozen funds.
Others argued it underlined Orban's closeness to the presidents of Russia and Turkey.
For analyst Mate Szalai of Venice's Ca' Foscari University, Orban was simply playing to his domestic audience.
"Orban wanted to go as far as he could without causing serious problems to the Transatlantic community while proving that Hungary is a power to be reckoned with," he told AFP.
While Hungary's "confrontational behavior" did not reap any tangible results, it might have "been beneficial domestically for the ruling Fidesz party," he added.
"Many initiatives of the Hungarian government are designed to provoke a backlash in Europe," said Szalai.
"And most criticism expressed towards the Orban government (from outside Hungary) actually helps Fidesz to maintain its popularity in the country."
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
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