“More respect for Orban needed”
Hungary is taking a tactical approach to Sweden’s accession to NATO
January 18, 2024, 7:14 p.m
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While Turkey’s yes to Sweden’s NATO membership is likely imminent, there are new concerns from Hungary, which, however, have little to do with defense issues: Stockholm is apparently not friendly enough to Orban and his government, according to Budapest.
In the dispute over Sweden’s planned NATO membership, Hungary has accused the northern European country of not approaching Budapest sufficiently. “The Swedes have done nothing to establish a friendly relationship,” Gergely Gulyas, Prime Minister Victor Orban’s chief of staff, told reporters in the afternoon. Quick access to NATO may not be a priority for Sweden after all.
He emphasized that he was not talking “about the Prime Minister, let alone the King, but simply about the Foreign Minister.” “One of them should get in touch and inquire about the Hungarian Parliament’s concerns.” Hungary is the only country besides Turkey that has not yet ratified Sweden’s entry into the military alliance, although it had pledged its fundamental support.
Budapest demands that Stockholm end its policy of “denigration” towards the Orban government. Swedish representatives regularly criticized Hungary inappropriately “on issues of the rule of law,” is one accusation. Hungary has “the right to demand respect from Sweden before preparing for a positive decision,” Orban said last year. At the same time, however, he promised that Hungary would not be the last country to agree.
The topic is not even on the agenda in Budapest
However, the issue is not on the agenda of Hungarian MPs – although Turkey’s ratification could be imminent. After months of delays, the Turkish parliament’s foreign policy committee approved accession in December. This cleared the way for a parliamentary vote.
In response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, traditionally non-aligned Sweden applied for NATO membership together with its neighboring country Finland in May last year. Finland joined the military alliance in April, while Sweden is still waiting for approval from member states Turkey and Hungary.