Hungarian parliament approves Swedish NATO accession
The Hungarian parliament on Monday approved Sweden's accession to NATO. This makes Hungary the last NATO country to ratify the accession protocols. Now all that is needed is the Hungarian president's signature.
Of the members of parliament, 188 voted in favour of ratifying the accession protocol and six against. The approval was expected, as prime minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party had previously come out in favour. The party has a two-thirds majority in parliament. At the start of the session, Orban had again called for Sweden's accession to be approved.
Government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said on X that Hungary had a "vested interest in Europe’s security".
Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022, along with Finland, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland became the Alliance's 31st member in April 2023.
Sweden's accession was initially opposed by Turkey and Hungary. Turkey delayed ratification because of Stockholm's alleged support for what Ankara calls "terrorist" groups - referring mainly to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
In October, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked parliament to start the vote on Sweden after Stockholm tightened its anti-terrorism laws. Erdogan ratified Sweden's NATO membership in January.
Hungary was thus the last obstacle for Sweden, although Orban had promised not to be the last country to ratify the protocol. Membership must be approved by all member states of the organisation.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban (centre) at the spring session of the Hungarian Parliament © PHOTO ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP
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