As of: February 26, 2024, 5:13 p.m
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Prime Minister Viktor Orban (r) speaks in parliament in Budapest.
© Marton Monus/dpa
Sweden's arduous path to NATO is practically over.
After much delay, Hungary finally agrees to admit the Scandinavian country into the alliance.
Budapest - After a long delay, Hungary has approved the admission of Sweden into NATO as the last alliance member.
Parliament in Budapest voted with a large majority on Monday for the Scandinavian country to join the Western defense alliance.
188 MPs voted for and 6 against.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party had previously ended its blockade on this.
The only thing that remains uncertain is how quickly the remaining formalities will be completed.
Disputes settled “in a dignified manner”: Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (l) and Viktor Orban met in Budapest.
© Marton Monus/dpa
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson spoke of "a historic day" on the online platform X immediately after the vote.
Sweden is ready to assume its share of responsibility for NATO security.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also welcomed the vote.
Sweden's NATO membership will make the alliance stronger and more secure, the Norwegian wrote on X.
“Respectful” bilateral relations
According to Orban, the reason for Hungary's reversal was that the Swedish Prime Minister's visit to Budapest on Friday helped to create "respectful" bilateral relations.
Although differences of opinion remain, because “we, Swedes and Hungarians, are not the same,” we look at these differences with mutual understanding, “as befits serious nations.”
Attempts from outside to intervene in these disputes were not helpful.
The Danube country in the southeast of the EU based the blockade on the fact that there had been criticism from Sweden of the democratic conditions in Hungary.
Many Fidesz politicians took these as insults.
Sweden's accession protocol now has to be signed by the president of the EU country.
This is considered a formality.
The Hungarian parliament wanted to elect a new president on Monday.
The signature could come from the prospective new President Tamas Sulyok.
However, Sulyok would not officially take office until March 5th.
Until then, Parliament President Laszlo Köver will temporarily manage the head of state's business.
In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland applied for membership in NATO in May 2022.
Finland was admitted to the alliance as the 31st member in April 2023.
Sweden, on the other hand, fought for many months longer to get ratifications from NATO members Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey in particular had actively blocked the process for a long time and justified this attitude, among other things, with what it saw as Sweden's inadequate commitment against "terrorist organizations".
In January the country finally approved Sweden's NATO application.
This meant that the only thing the Swedes needed was Hungary's consent.
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After the President's signature in Hungary, the ratification still has to appear in the Hungarian Official Gazette.
This can take up to eight days.
The ratification must then be formally deposited with the US State Department in Washington.
Then Sweden would have the approval of all 31 current NATO members.
dpa