According to Csaba Hende, the deputy speaker of the parliament, Swedish politicians have spread lies about Hungary. However, according to Hende, Hungary intends to ratify Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications in the coming weeks.
STOCKHOLM The parliamentary delegation sent by Hungary to Sweden has met the Speaker of the Diet by Andreas Norlén and a few members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The meeting in the morning lasted about an hour.
In Sweden, the newspaper Dagens Nyheter published article on Saturday (you will switch to another service)where, for example, a member of the Hungarian opposition Agnes Vadai marveled at the journey and its purpose.
After the meeting, the leader of the Hungarian delegation, the vice-president Csaba Hende described the discussions as good and even considered them a new beginning for the countries’ relations.
According to Hende, there are no obstacles to the Hungarian parliament ratifying Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications.
– We told you that the Hungarian government, the president and the majority of members of the parliament support Sweden’s NATO membership.
At the same time, however, the delegation led by Hende interpreted that it is necessary to improve the bilateral relations between Sweden and Hungary.
According to Hungarians, improving relations requires staying true. In Hende’s opinion, Swedish politicians have spread lies about, for example, deficiencies in the rule of law in Hungary.
NATO applications will be accepted in the coming weeks
The Hungarian Parliament has already started processing the applications of Finland and Sweden and the political discussion. Hende says that the Speaker will decide the timetable for when the ratification will be completed, but according to his guesses, in the next few weeks.
On the Swedish side, in addition to Speaker Norlén, the Minister of Defense of the previous government participated in the negotiation Peter Hultqvistwho as a social democrat now represents the opposition.
Hultqvist did not want to comment on the discussions. Similarly, a member of the foreign affairs committee from the coalition refused to comment Ann-Sofi Alm.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Emil Aronsson was the only Swedish politician who was ready to talk about the meeting. Aronsson belongs to the Swedish Democrats, who have the most understanding attitude towards the prime minister among the Swedish parties Viktor Orbán lead to Hungary.
According to Aronsson, all parties, including the Sweden Democrats, have accepted the EU Commission’s criticism of Hungary. According to the Commission, the Hungarian judiciary is not independent and the freedom of the press is not realized.
According to Aronsson, however, the Swedish critics of Hungary have been moving with emotion and have overlooked, for example, the reform work that Hungary is already doing.
According to Aronsson, Hungary does not seem to have anything against Sweden’s NATO membership and the parliament’s decision should be within 3–5 weeks.
Aronsson estimates that the Hungarian delegation did not set any conditions or requirements for the ratification, which Sweden or Finland should now implement.
Tomorrow it’s Helsinki
The Hungarian delegation continues from Stockholm to Helsinki, where the meeting in the parliament is already from the morning.
In addition to the commission’s criticism and the freezing of aid money, the anger of Hungarian politicians has also intensified in recent years over the treatment of the Prime Minister’s party, Fidesz, in the EU Parliament.
The Finnish coalition, the moderate Swedish coalition and the centre-right Fidesz previously belonged to the same EPP political group in the EU parliament.
However, the Finnish and Swedish MEPs and their home parties harshly criticized Fidesz’s autocratic ways in Hungary and demanded that the Hungarians be expelled from the group, which happened in 2021.
The six-member delegation visiting Finland and Sweden includes two Hungarian MEPs.