Türkiye and Hungary jointly delay Sweden’s admission to NATO

The Hungarian parliament will not discuss the admission of Sweden to NATO next week. This means that Sweden will not be able to become a member of the alliance before the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 10, according to Reuters. Hungary is becoming another obstacle on the path of Stockholm to NATO, along with Turkey, which is dissatisfied with Sweden’s support for Kurdish organizations and the actions taking place in Sweden with the burning of the Koran.

Agnes Vaday, a member of the opposition Democratic Coalition in the Hungarian parliament, told Reuters that the ruling Fidesz party, allied with the Christian Democrats, did not support the idea of ​​voting on Sweden’s NATO membership at the next plenary session. According to Vadai, supporters of the current Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will agree to discuss this issue only when it is beneficial for Turkey. “Orban is acting together with Erdogan, ignoring the sovereignty of Hungary and undermining the unity of NATO. As of today, there will be no ratification (of Sweden’s membership) before the summit,” Vadai complained.

Turkey and Hungary are indeed coordinating their actions regarding the admission of Sweden and Finland to NATO. Previously, the Hungarian parliament similarly delayed the ratification of Helsinki’s membership in the alliance, but quickly formalized it after the consent of Turkey. In addition, on June 14, the parties announced an agreement according to which they will inform each other about the steps taken on the issue of Sweden’s membership. This was announced by his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto following a meeting with the new Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The ideological justification for turning Hungary into a link between Europe and Asia, according to Kirill Temeretsky, an expert at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, is the concept of the origin of the Hungarians. “In the media and scientific environment of the country, two concepts of the origin of the people dominate: Finno-Ugric and Turkic. The authorities are trying not to rule out these theories, although recently the theory of the Turkic origin of the Hungarians has become popular, the expert noted. “A convenient position, which, on the one hand, allows the Hungarians to take a peaceful position in Europe, on the other hand, to play an active role in the Organization of Turkic States, which includes Budapest.”

Both Türkiye and Hungary have previously expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of the Swedish authorities. Ankara demanded that Stockholm take action against Kurdish organizations that are considered terrorist in Turkey. In addition, the Turkish authorities are reacting sharply to the burning of the Koran, which is legal in Sweden. In turn, Hungary accuses Stockholm of undermining relations with Budapest and showing “moral superiority.” Orban himself clarified that he does not oppose the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO. At the same time, the Hungarian leader added that the parliament will not ratify their membership until they stop spreading “shameless lies” about his country.

The issue of Sweden’s accession to NATO is indeed coordinated by the Hungarian authorities with the Turkish authorities, says Temeretsky. “Budapest has long pursued a policy of strengthening relations with Ankara. Last year, the parties even signed an agreement on military cooperation,” the expert noted. “On the other hand, Hungary’s relations with Sweden cannot be called good, due to the fact that Stockholm calls the Orbán government undemocratic and criticizes them for dividing European politics.” Budapest, continues Temeretsky, believes that the North Atlantic Alliance should include those states with which the Hungarians have no problems at the bilateral level. In this sense, the interests of Orban and Erdogan coincide, the expert believes.

Temeretsky recalled that earlier Hungary also had similar problems with the government of Finland, but after, probably, behind-the-scenes agreements, the Hungarians lifted their veto on Helsinki joining NATO on April 4. Budapest, according to the expert, is trying to build conflict-free relations with all states and be a connecting bridge between Europe and Asia, the developed North and the Global South. “Since 2010, the Orban government has pursued a policy of openness to the East. This is a matter of economic pragmatics: they are trying to find new markets and supply chains outside the EU in the face of an impending economic crisis. Therefore, Orban acts as the headliner of the “peace party” in Europe and supports the mediation efforts of Turkey and China in the Ukrainian crisis,” says Temeretsky.

Turkey resists Sweden’s entry into NATO because, according to Ankara, there are people on the territory of Sweden associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is considered a terrorist group in Turkey, said Iqbal Durre, associate professor at the Moscow State Linguistic University. “Ankara claims that Stockholm has not yet done anything to interfere with their activities. In addition, they demand the extradition of certain people and the tightening of already existing laws in order to completely interfere with the activities of those organizations that Turkey believes are associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, ”says the expert.

Although, according to Durre, Stockholm made some concessions and tightened anti-terrorism laws at the request of Turkey, Ankara believes that this is not enough. The burning of the Koran in Sweden by provocateurs, the expert believes, somewhat delayed the prospect of the Swedes joining NATO, since in Turkey these events are perceived extremely painfully. In the end, Durre continues, Ankara will lift its veto on Sweden’s accession to NATO. “Turkey is in a difficult economic situation, and its biggest partner in economic terms is the European Union. In addition, Washington also has certain levers of pressure on the Turkish authorities. The sides will sooner or later find a common language. Sweden’s membership in the alliance is neither hot nor cold for Turkey, it just found a reason for bargaining and for solving its problems,” the expert believes.