Hungary Approves Sweden’s NATO Membership After Many Delays
Image Source: The National
Hungary’s parliament on Monday finally voted for Sweden’s accession to NATO, approving it as the newest member of the US-led defense alliance, clearing the final obstacle for Sweden to join NATO and the enlargement of the military alliance over Eastern Europe.
The vote passed in the Hungarian parliament on Monday with a vote of 188 for the measure and only 6 against in the 199-member parliament, making Sweden the 31st member of NATO. On Friday, after Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson made a visit to Budapest, Hungary, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared the end of the month-long spat with Sweden over its NATO membership, which Hungary had been stalling for 19 months.
Swedish Prime Minister hailed it as a “historic day,” while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Sweden will make the alliance “stronger and safer.” “Sweden is leaving 200 years of neutrality and military non-alignment behind,” Kristersson said. “We are joining NATO to defend what we are and everything we believe in even better. We are defending our freedom, our democracy, and our values.”
After Finland’s alliance with NATO last year, Sweden abandoned its non-alignment policy for greater safety within NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “When it comes to Russia, the only thing we can expect is that they will not like that Sweden is becoming a NATO member,” Kristersson said. “What they do, we cannot know. We are prepared for all sorts of things.”
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