Hungary: Finland and Sweden ‘can count on us’ in NATO bid

"Finland and Sweden are our allies and they can count on us."

By Reuters November 9, 2022
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A view of the flags of Finland, NATO and Sweden during a ceremony to mark Sweden’s and Finland’s application for membership in Brussels, Belgium on May 18, 2022. (Johanna Geron / Pool via Reuters / File Photo)

BUDAPEST — Hungary’s parliament will discuss the ratification of Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO during its autumn session after a series of EU-related bills have been passed, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff said on Wednesday.

“Finland and Sweden are our allies and they can count on us,” Gergely Gulyas told a briefing.

Hungary and Turkey are the only members of the alliance who have not cleared the accession.

“Our aim is that parliament should ratify their application before the end of this year … we have always said we supported the ratification,” Gulyas said, in reply to a question.

Orban’s government had submitted the relevant bills in mid-July, but parliament, in which his ruling Fidesz party has a two-thirds majority, has still not tabled the two bills for debate and approval.

Reporting by Krisztina Than.

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