By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- On February 26, Sweden finally became a member of NATO thanks to the passing votes at Hungary’s parliament on Monday. Hungary was the last hurdle that Sweden had to overcome to enter NATO as its Prime Minister Viktor Orban had acted cagey for months about whether or not his parliament would ratify Sweden’s NATO bid. After a vote of 188 with only 6 votes against it in the 199-member parliament in Hungary, Sweden finally achieved its goal. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was in Hungary last Friday at the invitation of Orban where in a joint press conference, the two leaders confirmed their countries’ cordial relations. Though Orban had stalled on Sweden’s NATO bid for 19 months, that had called into question Hungary’s allegiance to NATO and its member states. On Friday, Sweden signed a military agreement with Hungary that includes providing it with four Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets to add to the 14 that the Hungarian Air Force already uses. Sweden also promised Hungary that Saab, a manufacturer of war planes would open an A.I. research center in Hungaery.
After the Turkish Parliament voted to ratify Sweden’s NATO bid on January 23, approving its membership, it was a signal to Orban to do the same. Orban is known to leaders as a thorn in the side of NATO as analysts highlighted the fact that he uses every situation to his own personal advantage. Initially, Orban had berated Sweden for its stance on Hungary but the authoritarian leader is known to swing both ways when push comes to shove on major decisions. Analysts point out that even though Orban approved Sweden’s NATO membership, he still can’t totally be trusted especially with his cozy relations with Russia’s Putin. In the scheme of things, Hungary only accounts for 1 percent of economic output in the European Union. Though Orban faced a major controversy in Hungary over his two top female officials handing in their resignations over letting a convicted pedophile go free – observers note that Orban’s popularity has increased in certain quarters. The scandal put Orban in a quandary since he campaigned on family values and putting children’s safety first. As analysts note, Orban revels in the attention he draws to himself as the leader who courts controversy and has criticized liberals as “woke globalists” who he claims are out-of-touch.
