Orbán says he will push the Hungarian parliament to accept Sweden into NATO

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday he would “continue to urge” Hungarian lawmakers to vote in favor of accepting Sweden as a member of NATO, a day after the only other holdout, Turkey. endorsed the entry of the Nordic nation into the military alliance.

The Turkish decision makes Hungary the only country that has not yet approved NATO expansion. The Hungarian parliament, which voted to include Finland in the alliance last spring but left Sweden in limbo, is in winter recess and currently won't reconvene until February 15.

It was unclear whether Mr. Orban's comments posted on the social media platform meant that parliament would quickly vote on Sweden's membership. He has often said in the past that he wanted Sweden to join NATO but that lawmakers were “not enthusiastic,” blaming Hungary's repeated delays in Sweden's acceptance on lawmakers' right to make their own decisions. to make decisions.

Most analysts questioned this statement, noting that Mr. Orban has a tight grip on the ruling Fidesz party and that its members, who form a large majority in parliament, consistently follow the prime minister's instructions. He said on Wednesday he wanted Parliament to vote in favor of Sweden's membership “at the first possible opportunity”, but gave no indication of when that would be.