Hungarian Parliament Finally Approves Sweden’s NATO Accession Bid – Leaders Vow To Be ‘Prepared To Die for Each Other’

The wait is over. After months of negotiations and threats,  Hungary approved Sweden’s NATO accession bid almost two years after it first applied to join the military alliance.

Hungarian lawmakers finally voted in favor of Sweden’s membership after overcoming staunch opposition from governing party members.

CNBC reported:

“The Scandinavian country will become the 32nd NATO member, coming under the fold of Article 5 of the treaty, which vows that an attack on one member is an attack on all of them.”

After the start of the war in Ukraine, Sweden applied to join NATO, in a historic reversal of its policy of military non-alignment.

Its accession expands NATO’s presence in northern Europe and further encircles Russia in a dangerous escalation of the alliance’s eastward expansion.

“While a vast majority of NATO members backed Stockholm’s bid from its early days, Orbán was resistant amid Swedish criticism over Hungary’s democracy. NATO requires unanimous support from all members before allowing a new admission.

In a meeting in Budapest on Friday, Orbán and his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson vowed to overcome their differences and noted that they were ‘prepared to die for each other.’”

Read: Hungary’s Orbán Calls the European Union a ‘Bad Contemporary Parody’ of the Soviet Union

Hungary and Sweden also signed a military pact in which Sweden agreed to sell four new Gripen fighter planes.

“’To be a member of NATO together with another country means we are ready to die for each other’, Orbán said Friday, according to the Associated Press. ‘A deal on defense and military capacities helps to reconstruct the trust between the two countries’.”

Hungary’s vote follows that of Turkey, the other country that delayed the approval.

Ankara had accused Stockholm of being too lenient toward groups it views as threats, including Kurdish militants.

Read: Hungary Against NATO’S and EU’s Plans: Parliament Delays Vote on Sweden’s Entry on Military Alliance – PM Orbán Blocks European Aid to Ukraine Until They Account for the Money Already Received

The Guardian reported:

“Speaking after the vote in Budapest on Monday, the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, hailed ‘a historic day’. ‘The parliaments of all Nato member states have now voted in favour of Swedish accession to Nato. Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security’, he said.

Jens Stoltenberg, the outgoing Nato secretary general, also welcomed the move, saying: ‘Now that all allies have approved, Sweden will become the 32nd Nato ally. Sweden’s membership will make us all stronger and safer’.”

Hungary’s interim president, László Kövér, will have five days to sign off on it and send it to the US State Department in Washington.

“Asked by journalists what had made his country drop its opposition to Sweden joining Nato, Orbán said: ‘Being members of Nato means that we are prepared to die for each other. It is based on mutual respect. Taking that process at an appropriate pace has been wise’.”

Read more:

Hungarian PM Orbán Supports Sweden’s Membership in NATO, After Turkish Parliament Votes To Ratify It

 

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