Hungary's ruling party said it would vote in favor of Sweden's accession
Bao Xuelin. Košes Mattei, leader of the parliamentary group of the Hungarian ruling Young Democrats' Union, proposed on 20 June that when the Hungarian parliament resumed on 26 July, a vote would be held on Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and Fidesz would support Sweden's "accession to the treaty." Swedish Defense Minister Pol Junsson responded on the same day that the Swedish side "very welcomed" the news.
The Hungarian parliament is currently in recess and is scheduled to resume on the 26th. In a letter to the chairman of the National Assembly, Kocsz said Fidesz had suggested that the agenda for the first day should include "a final vote on the accession of the Kingdom of Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Protocol", and that the party's MPs were ready to vote in favour.
After the escalation of the Ukraine crisis in February 2022, Sweden and Finland abandoned their long-standing policy of military non-alignment, and applied to NATO at the same time in May of the same year. In July of the same year, NATO member states signed the protocol on the accession of the two countries, but according to the regulations, the protocol still needs to be approved by all member states in accordance with their own legislative procedures. Finland was allowed to join NATO in April last year, while Sweden has been slow to get Turkey and Hungary to agree. After Turkey ratified Sweden's accession to the treaty in January this year, the United States and NATO allies stepped up pressure to urge Hungary to "let go" as soon as possible.
At the request of the opposition camp, the Hungarian parliament convened a special session on 5 May to vote on Sweden's "accession to the treaty." However, Fidesz MPs, who hold a majority in parliament, were collectively absent, and the quorum was not reached, and the vote was "aborted". On the same day, US Ambassador to Hungary David Presman and more than a dozen envoys from NATO countries attended the meeting. After the meeting, Presman warned that Sweden's accession to NATO is "directly related to the security of the United States and all its allies."
The Associated Press reported that a delegation of bipartisan members of the US Congress visited Hungary on the 18th, but several members of the Hungarian **sif** and Fidesz refused to meet with the delegation. The delegation said it would submit a bill to the U.S. Congress condemning Hungary's democratic backsliding and urging Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to approve Sweden's accession to NATO as soon as possible.
Orban previously said that Hungary** is in favor of Sweden's accession to NATO, but some Fidesz MPs disagree. Orban hinted on the 17th that Sweden will soon be approved to join NATO after the Hungarian parliament resumes. "It's good news that our dispute with Sweden will be resolved soon," he told supporters. ”
According to a number of ** reports, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is scheduled to visit Budapest, the capital of Hungary, on the 23rd to meet with Orban. Orban said on the 20th that the two sides plan to discuss "strengthening cooperation on defense and security policies between the two countries." (End) (Special article by Xinhua News Agency).