By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL-Finland is now one step closer to becoming a NATO member after Hungary’s parliament approved its bid with 182 votes versus six. In a Twitter statement, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said “Thank you for the decision with clear numbers!” Currently, 29 out of 30 NATO member state parliaments ratified Finland’s accession – with the Turkish Parliament, the last one to take ratification steps. Marin added: “The NATO membership of Finland and Sweden will strengthen the security of the whole alliance.” She further stated: “It is in everyone’s interest that Sweden also becomes a member of NATO before the Vilnius Summit.”
Meanwhile, Hungary hasn’t yet voted on Sweden’s NATO bid but in a Twitter message on Sunday, chief political aide to Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the government supports Sweden’s NATO membership – adding that it will be up to parliament to make that decision. It was NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg who urged Turkiye and Hungary to ratify Finland and Sweden’s NATO applications. Initially, both Turkiye and Hungary had reservations about approving the NATO bids for Finland and Sweden. The Hungarian government maintains it supports NATO accession for Sweden but is concerned about Swedish government officials’ remarks about Hungarian democracy. A factor influencing the Hungarian government’s decision on Sweden is Hungary’s current discussions with the European Commission who has prevented disbursement of EU finds to Hungary on claims of corruption and diminishing democracy in the country. Last week, Orban’s chief-of-staff Gergely Gulyas told the press that Sweden’s bid most likely will be ratified during Hungary’s ongoing parliamentary session, running through June 15.
