Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has boycotted a session of parliament called by the opposition to ratify Sweden’s Nato membership, even as a group of western ambassadors arrived in the building to urge a vote.
For months, the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, repeatedly promised his counterparts within Nato that the country would not be last to sign off on Sweden’s membership.
But Orbán reneged on the pledge when Turkey ratified the Swedish bid last month, leaving Hungary alone holding up Stockholm’s accession.
The Hungarian leader then publicly promised Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, that he would urge parliament to “conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity” – only to also abandon that pledge by not showing up to a session initiated by the country’s opposition with the aim of voting on Sweden’s accession.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has boycotted a session of parliament called by the opposition to ratify Sweden’s Nato membership, even as a group of western ambassadors arrived in the building to urge a vote.
For months, the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, repeatedly promised his counterparts within Nato that the country would not be last to sign off on Sweden’s membership.
The Hungarian leader then publicly promised Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, that he would urge parliament to “conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity” – only to also abandon that pledge by not showing up to a session initiated by the country’s opposition with the aim of voting on Sweden’s accession.
In a symbolic move, a group of 16 diplomatic representatives, including the American ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, arrived at Hungary’s parliament on Monday.
“With our presence today, we wanted to show our solidarity with Sweden, and the Swedish ambassador in Budapest, in their pursuit of joining Nato in such a difficult and demanding time for the world.
“We know that Orbán considers these situations as opportunities for blackmail, but completely ignoring a parliamentary session, our allies’ requests and the security interests of Hungary is disgraceful,” said Márton Tompos, a member of the Hungarian parliament and spokesperson for the opposition Momentum party.
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