Hungary to ratify Finland, Sweden NATO bids in February, Finnish foreign minister says

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had previously said Hungary's parliament would ratify NATO memberships for Finland and Sweden early next year.

By Reuters December 1, 2022
1308
Foreign minister of Finland Pekka Haavisto attends a joint news conference, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on November 28, 2022. (Valentyn Ogirenko / Pool via Reuters)

HELSINKI — Hungary has promised to ratify the NATO bids of Finland and Sweden in early February of 2023, Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto said on Wednesday.

“This was a positive message … It specifically emphasized that Finland and Sweden are together and Hungary has no preconditions,” Haavisto told journalists in Bucharest where he was attending a meeting with colleagues from NATO countries.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last week that Hungary’s parliament would ratify NATO memberships for Finland and Sweden early next year.

Turkey, the only other NATO nation that has yet to ratify the memberships, has not yet set a date, Haavisto said.

Reporting by Essi Lehto.

This article has been fact-checked by Arctic Today and Polar Research and Policy Initiative, with the support of the EMIF managed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Disclaimer: The sole responsibility for any content supported by the European Media and Information Fund lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute.