Hungarian Delegation Visits Sweden
A delegation of Hungarian lawmakers, led by Deputy Speaker of National Assembly Csaba Hende, is scheduled to visit Sweden on March 7 to discuss Sweden’s bid to join NATO. Finland is also expecting a visit from a Hungarian delegation. Both Nordic countries applied to join the military alliance due to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Turkey has objected to Sweden’s bid, accusing Stockholm of harboring members of Kurdish terrorist groups. While Turkey has indicated it could approve Finland’s application, it has given no assurances for Sweden. The US and others hope that Sweden and Finland will join NATO at a summit in Lithuania in July. Hungarian lawmakers began debating the NATO bids for Sweden and Finland on Wednesday, with voting to take place from March 20. Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson stated that Sweden and Finland’s joint application for NATO membership was an unexpected consequence for Russia, and a major strategic goal for Moscow was to keep them outside of NATO.
