Hungary’s parliament, dominated by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party, ratified Finland’s NATO membership on Monday after months of delay, paving the way for the Nordic country. A vast majority of deputies (182 out of 199 seats) approved Helsinki’s entry into the Atlantic Alliance. The case of Sweden will be dealt with “later”, according to the ruling Fidesz party.
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden decided to abandon their policy of military non-alignment in force since the 1990s, and asked to join NATO in May 2022.
Of the 30 NATO members, 28 have already approved Finland’s request for membership. Only Hungary and Turkey were missing.
In mid-March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave his green light for Finland, which shares the longest European border with Russia (1,340 km), after Ukraine. The legislative vote could take place in the next few days.
The situation is more complicated for Sweden, whose access is blocked by Ankara. Turkey accuses Sweden of harboring Kurdish “terrorist” militants and refusing extraditions.
Sweden has also expressed its concern over Hungary’s delay due to its situation, despite the fact that the Orban government has made its support official.
Last week, the director of the Hungarian prime minister’s cabinet, Gergely Gulyas, said there was a “high chance” the vote would come during the spring session of parliament, which ends on June 15. But the Fidesz party makes no progress in the case and denounces the “lies” of Swedish political leaders about the rule of law in Hungary.
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