Sweden’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that he believes Hungary will soon agree to let Sweden join NATO.
“We are glad that Turkey has finished its approval process, and we hope Hungary will do the same soon,” Tobias Billstrom stated in a speech to parliament.
Hungary is the only NATO country that has not agreed to let Sweden join the alliance. The ruling nationalists in Hungary say that Sweden has made unfair accusations about them undermining democracy in Hungary.
Sweden is not a member of NATO but has a close partnership with the alliance through various cooperation programs. Sweden participates in NATO exercises and has signed agreements for cooperation in areas such as crisis management, cyber defense, and joint exercises.
While Sweden has historically maintained a policy of military non-alignment and has not sought NATO membership, there have been discussions and debates within Sweden about the country’s relationship with NATO and the potential benefits and drawbacks of joining the alliance.