Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and discussed his support for Sweden joining NATO. After delaying Sweden’s membership, Orbán announced his support for Sweden joining the bloc, saying on X, “Just finished a phone call with @NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg. I reaffirmed that the Hungarian government supports the NATO-membership of #Sweden.”
In the statement, Orbán said that he will urge Hungary’s National Assembly to vote in favor of Sweden: “I also stressed that we will continue to urge the Hungarian National Assembly to vote in favor of Sweden’s accession and conclude the #ratification at the first possible opportunity.”
Stoltenberg announced Orbán’s support on X, saying, “Good call with @PM_ViktorOrban of #Hungary. I welcome the clear support of the Prime Minister and his government for #Sweden’s #NATO membership. I look forward to the ratification as soon as parliament reconvenes.”
The announcement comes a day after Turkey’s General Assembly voted to approve Sweden’s membership. Turkey and Hungary were the last two countries to approve NATO membership for Sweden, and have pledged to strengthen ties, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan saying, “We wish to further strengthen our ties in areas such as defence and energy, where we already have fruitful cooperation.”
