Hungary's Orban supports Sweden's efforts to join NATO, which may remove the last obstacle to joining

CNN
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that his government supports him. Sweden membership applicationThis would likely remove the final hurdle to accession after months of fraught negotiations.

“I have reiterated that the Hungarian government supports Sweden’s membership in NATO,” Orban wrote on Wednesday on X.

Orban said he informed Stoltenberg in a phone call that he would urge the Hungarian National Assembly to vote in favor of Sweden's application to join the bloc at the first possible opportunity. The NATO Secretary General said he welcomed Orban's “clear support” for Sweden's request.

Until this week, Hungary was one of the two countries that objected and obstructed Sweden's accession to NATO. The Turkish parliament voted on Tuesday to approve Sweden's request, allowing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to sign the protocol into law.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022, shortly after Russia launched its membership. Invasion of Ukraine Earlier that year. Finland Sweden joined NATO in April 2023, doubling the alliance's border with Russia, but Sweden's bid was mired in challenges.

Erdogan object Sweden accused Swedish officials of being too lenient with armed groups, including the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Sweden has since tightened its anti-terrorism legislation and pledged close cooperation with Turkey on security concerns.

Another obstacle was Sweden's approval of a small project Demonstration of burning the Qur’an Outside a mosque in its capital, Stockholm, which coincided with the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned the decision, saying: “Turning a blind eye to such heinous acts is tantamount to complicity in them.”

Erdogan's final approval was gained in part through US commitment, with the Turkish president indicating that he would not sign the protocol into law unless Washington approved sales. F-16 fighter jets To Ankara. US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin said on Tuesday that Congress is awaiting the completion of the accession documents before moving forward in this matter.

Orban, who is considered the European Union leader closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin, initially indicated that he was not opposed to Sweden joining the bloc, before he worked to obstruct it. Katalin Cseh, a Hungarian member of the European Parliament, said last year that Orbán ban Sweden's offer was “simply another favor for Vladimir Putin.”

But after the Turkish parliament's decision, Orban said on Tuesday that he had invited his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson to visit Hungary to negotiate the terms of Sweden's accession.

Stoltenberg said he had a “good contact” with Orban on Wednesday, adding, “I look forward to the ratification as soon as Parliament is back in session.”