Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday January 25 that he was ready to meet his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban in Budapest, in response to the latter's invitation to discuss Sweden's membership in NATO.
“The completion of the process of ratifying Sweden's NATO membership in the Hungarian parliament will create a solid basis for moving forward in our bilateral relations
,” said Ulf Kristersson in a letter seen by AFP.
Hungary is the last country not to have approved Sweden's entry into NATO.
The Swedish prime minister said in his letter that he would be keen to discuss the matter in Budapest
“at a convenient time”
for both countries.
“We will also have an opportunity to meet at the important Council of the European Union in Brussels on February 1
,” Ulf Kristersson also underlined.
“Solid mutual trust”
The Turkish Parliament ratified Tuesday evening Sweden's entry into the Atlantic Alliance, after twenty months of negotiations, making Hungary the last refractory country.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has yet to formally promulgate the text.
Budapest, which has given its support in principle but has been dragging its feet for months, is calling on Stockholm to stop its policy of
“denigration”
towards the Hungarian government, accused of authoritarian drift.
Viktor Orban invited his Swedish counterpart to Hungary on Tuesday, citing the need
“to build solid mutual trust”
through
“a more intense political dialogue”
.
The Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs immediately responded coldly to the invitation, explaining that his country had
“no reason”
to currently negotiate with Hungary.
Membership in NATO requires unanimous ratification by all members of the Alliance.