Sweden has done nothing to raise confidence in its eligibility for NATO membership and has given the impression that joining the alliance is not a priority for the country, an assistant to the Hungarian prime minister said on Thursday.
Sweden applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in May 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the accession process, which requires the approval of all existing members, has been suspended by Turkey and Hungary.
Ratification has been blocked in Hungary’s parliament for more than a year, with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling nationalists arguing there is no threat to Sweden’s security, citing what they call unjustified Swedish claims to have undermined Hungary’s democracy.
“Sweden is not taking any steps to strengthen trust so that our relationship becomes an ally and a friendly one,” said Gergely Gulyas, the head of Orban’s cabinet at a press briefing.
”That relationship is currently one of allies, but it cannot be considered friendly, and therefore I have to conclude that it is not at all a priority for Sweden today to quickly join NATO,”he said.
Sweden’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Gulyas suggested that Sweden’s foreign minister or prime minister should “get in touch and ask what concerns the Hungarian parliament has about Sweden’s accession to NATO.
Answering a journalist’s question, he said that Hungary wants to avoid being the last country to ratify Sweden’s entry into NATO, but “probably we won’t succeed without Sweden’s help. Why should it matter to us if it doesn’t matter to Sweden”? – he asked.
Orban’s government, which has maintained cordial ties with Moscow despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has repeatedly promised that it would not be the last to ratify the Nordic country’s candidacy.
The Hungarian Parliament, which is currently on winter break, will resume work in mid-February.
The general assembly of the Turkish parliament could discuss Sweden’s candidacy for NATO membership in the coming weeks, the president of the ruling AK party’s parliamentary group said last week, reports Reuters.
