Hungarian, Turkish Parliaments to discuss Sweden's NATO entry in autumn
The parliaments of Hungary and Turkey will separately discuss the issue of ratifying Sweden's entry into NATO in the autumn, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Sunday, reported by EFE and Agerpres.
The decision was made following a meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Budapest.
Szijjarto said that the two governments would continue to be in contact to discuss the Swedish issue and "will inform each other about the respective parliamentary procedures."
Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have so far not ratified Sweden's accession, although they have done so in the case of Finland.
Both Scandinavian nations decided to abandon neutrality and join the North Atlantic alliance after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"Like the Hungarian parliament, the Turkish parliament will meet in the autumn after the summer recess, when it will decide when the question of ratifying Sweden's entry (into NATO) could be put on the agenda," Szijjarto said.
The Hungarian government has been postponing the ratification of Sweden's entry into NATO for almost a year for various reasons.
In July, Szijjarto gave assurances that his country's ratification of Sweden's entry into NATO was "just a technical matter."
The Turkish president arrived in Budapest on Sunday for a one-day visit, accompanied by several ministers. Before meeting Orban, the Turkish president met Hungarian Minister for European Affairs Janos Boka.
According to Szijjarto, the Turkish president will visit Budapest again on 18 December, when the "Strategic Council" of ministers from the two countries will meet.
