SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Hungary set to vote on Sweden NATO bid before July summit
Budapest, June 15 (AFP) Jun 15, 2023
Hungary was poised to vote on Sweden's long held-up NATO bid by July 7, a parliamentary document seen by AFP on Thursday showed, just days before the defence bloc's Vilnius summit.

Sweden and its Nordic neighbour Finland ended decades of military non-alignment and applied to join the US-led defence bloc in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Turkey and fellow NATO member Hungary -- both pushing a more accommodating line with Russia -- were the last of the 30-member alliance to ratify Finland's membership this year.

Unanimous backing is needed for new countries to secure the guarantees afforded by the world's most powerful defence alliance, but both Ankara and Budapest have yet to ratify Sweden's entry.

The Western defence alliance will meet in Lithuania's capital Vilnius for a two-day summit set to start from July 11.

Hungary's vote on Sweden's accession is listed in a document titled "Plan of the National Assembly's June-July 2023 session" published earlier this week on the assembly's website, although no exact date is mentioned.

The Hungarian parliament's spring session will end Friday with the accession vote not included on the agenda.

However, an "extraordinary summer session" follows which was "expected to end on July 7", the parliament's press office told AFP in an email.

Hungary's ruling right-wing party Fidesz led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban has complained that Stockholm has unfairly criticised Hungarian government policy.

On Wednesday, US Republican senator James Risch reportedly halted a $735-million (679 million-euro) sale of arms including HIMARS missile launchers to Hungary over its delay on ratifying Sweden's membership.

Hungary's defence ministry dismissed the move, saying Budapest has "no intention of purchasing a HIMARS missile system".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also rebuffed growing international pressure on Ankara to ratify Sweden's NATO bid ahead of the summit.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
AI systems proposed to boost launch cadence reliability and traffic management
China debuts Long March 12A reusable rocket in Jiuquan test flight
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4750-4762: See You on the Other Side of the Sun

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Redesigned carbon framework boosts battery safety and power
Molecular catalyst switches between hydrogen and oxygen production
Project Pele microreactor reaches key milestone with first TRISO fuel delivery

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
SDA expands Tracking Layer satellite awards and related missile defense contracts
Space Systems Command activates System Delta 80 for assured space access
Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions to provide SAR reconnaissance data to German military

24/7 News Coverage
OPERA satellite data sharpens US crop and water management
Alen Space begins SATMAR satellite validation over Bay of Algeciras
Deep Arctic gas hydrate mounds host ultra deep cold seep ecosystem



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.