The Hungarian Parliament could ratify the entry of Sweden and Finland into the Atlantic Alliance in mid-December.
The new Swedish right-wing government is preparing to complete the process of integrating the Nordic country into NATO launched by the previous social democratic government of Magdalena Andersson . The main stumbling block continues to be Turkey, which is, together with Hungary, the only one of the 30 partners in the Atlantic Alliance that has not yet ratified the accession treaty between Sweden and Finland to the military organization.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson reported on Wednesday that he had held a “constructive talk” with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and that he will soon travel to Ankara to discuss the implementation of the tripartite agreement signed last June face-to-face with him. in Madrid during the NATO summit between Sweden, Finland and Turkey.
Constructive phone call with President Erdogan looking forward to visit Ankara soon. My gov will fulfil the trilateral memorandum between TRFISE for NATO accession.
Erdogan, who has insistently accused Stockholm of being a “sanctuary for terrorists”, demands the extradition of 73 suspected terrorists linked to Kurdish organizations. “The new Prime Minister of Sweden has requested a meeting and I have asked our friends to arrange a meeting. We will discuss these issues [NATO membership] with him in our country,” the Turkish leader announced in the official daily “Daily Sabah.”
Turkey’s president demands proof that the new Swedish government is committed to granting the extraditions. “The new prime minister’s position is clear on the fight against terrorism and, of course, we will test his sincerity on that issue at the meeting,” Erdogan explains.
The previous Swedish government’s response to the extradition problems was that Swedish law applies in Sweden and that Swedish citizens are not extradited to third countries.
Instead, another of the clauses of the agreement, the end of the embargo on the sale of arms to Turkey, has been lifted. However, this does not seem to be enough for Ankara, which in recent weeks has shown its disappointment with the Swedish authorities in contrast to the progress made with the Finnish government. In an attempt to divide the two Nordic countries, which jointly submitted their NATO candidacy in May , Erdogan has gone so far as to threaten to ratify only Finland’s accession.
In an attempt to speed up the expansion of NATO to northern Europe amid the insecurity situation that Europe is experiencing due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Alliance’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg , has announced an upcoming trip to Turkey. “I will go to Turkey myself in the near future. And we will do it to ensure that, as soon as possible, 30 Allies have ratified the Accession Protocol, which will allow Finland and Sweden to become full members of the alliance,” he said during a press conference from NATO headquarters. in Brussels. Despite the difficulties, the former Norwegian prime minister stressed that “until now, this has been the fastest accession process in modern NATO history.”
Meanwhile, regarding the other partner of the Alliance lagging behind in ratification, Hungary, sources from the Government of Viktor Orban have confirmed to Bloomberg that the Hungarian Parliament will ratify the accession of Sweden and Finland to the Atlantic Alliance in mid-December. Only when the 30 partners have deposited in Washington the ratification procedures for the admission of the two candidates, both Nordic countries will become full members of the organization. Until then, the Swedish and Finnish ambassadors can participate in all NATO meetings, but do not have the right to vote.