NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban before a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in July 2023 (Photo: Reuters).
"I reaffirm that the Hungarian government supports Sweden's NATO membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on social network X on January 24.
According to Prime Minister Orban, he told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that he will continue to urge the Hungarian parliament to vote in favor of Sweden's accession to NATO and complete the ratification as soon as possible.
Mr. Stoltenberg also confirmed after a phone call with Prime Minister Orban that the Hungarian leader and his government support Sweden becoming a member of NATO.
"I look forward to ratification as soon as parliament is reconvened," Mr Stoltenberg said.
The Turkish parliament approved Sweden's accession to NATO on January 23. Now, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can sign it into law.
Türkiye's move removes one of the biggest obstacles to Sweden's bid to join the US-led military alliance. Hungary is currently the only NATO member that has not ratified Sweden's membership.
Sweden and Finland both applied to join NATO in May 2022 after Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine. Finland joined the alliance in April 2023, doubling NATO's border with Russia. Sweden's entry process has faced more obstacles.
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