Turkish parliament approves Sweden’s NATO membership bid

[Jaga]

Finally Turkey went on board with Sweden... just when Orban from Hungary wanted to block the deal...

www.cnn.com/2024/01/23/europe/turkey-vote-sweden-nato-intl/index.html

The Turkish parliament voted Tuesday to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid, bringing the Nordic country one step closer to joining the military alliance after months of delays.

Of the 346 members of parliament who voted, 287 were in favor of Sweden’s accession and 55 voted to reject it. Four others abstained from voting.

The vote was the second step of Turkey’s ratification process after the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission approved the bid last month. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can now sign the protocol into law.

The outcome on Tuesday cleared a significant hurdle for the Nordic country’s accession into the military alliance, with Hungary now set to be the only member state that has not yet ratified Sweden’s accession.

But Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban on Wednesday told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Hungary’s government supports Sweden’s bid for accession.

“I reaffirmed that the Hungarian government supports the NATO membership of Sweden,” Orban wrote on X. Stoltenberg also posted on X, saying he welcomed Orban’s “clear support” for Sweden’s membership bid.

On Tuesday, Orban said he had invited his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson to visit Hungary to negotiate the terms of Sweden’s accession.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year. Finland joined NATO in April 2023, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia, but Sweden has faced numerous delays in its path to accession.

[Jaga]

www.nytimes.com/2024/01/24/world/europe/hungary-sweden-nato-orban.html

Orban Uses Sweden’s NATO Bid to Take Center Stage in Europe
The Hungarian leader has repeatedly opposed European efforts to boost Europe’s security in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also blocked a $52 billion aid package for Ukraine.

[karl]

Jaga

This situation has much to hinge upon with NATO to gain a great deal with this location that is controlled for the most part by Sweden.

www.wilsoncenter.org/article/swedens-contributions-nato-bolstering-alliances-defense-industry-and-air-capabilities#:~:text=Sweden%E2%80%99s%20entry%20into%20the%20Alliance%20will%20add%20three,at%20the%20entry%20of%20the%20Gulf%20of%20Bothnia.

Karl

[Jaga]

Karl, I am happy about it. Europe needs to be united because of the Russia's thread and the possibility that if Trumps win, he would drive the US out of NATO and be friendly with Russia and North Korea.

[Jaga]

here is more about Orban:

www.politico.eu/article/eu-threatens-silence-hungary-orban-if-blocks-ukrainian-aid-funds-article-7/

EU threatens to silence Hungary if it blocks Ukrainian funds
Leaders may consider invoking the “nuclear option” of kicking Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán out of the EU voting process.


BRUSSELS — There’s a Hungarian saying for when things are not going well: “It is under the frog’s ass.”

And things sure won’t go well for Hungary if it attempts to thwart European leaders when they meet next week to approve a vital €50 billion lifeline to Ukraine as it enters a third year of war with Russia.



After years of a softly-softly approach with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, this time European diplomats are giving signals that the “nuclear option” — kicking Budapest out of the EU voting process — is no longer unthinkable if he imperils the security of Ukraine, an EU candidate country.

If the EU were to use its so-called Article 7 — the most serious political sanction on a member country that involves suspending its right to vote on EU decisions — Orb´án really would be well and truly under the frog’s ass.

“That [saying] pretty much sums up where the trust between Orbán and other leaders is,” said an EU official who, like others quoted in this piece, was granted anonymity to speak about corroding internal dynamics.

Five European officials and diplomats said other countries in the bloc are ready to make a move against Budapest in what would be a historic move for leaders who rely on cohesion and unanimity.

“If Orbán really blocks again an agreement [on the budget and the €50 billion for Ukraine] at the February summit, using Article 7 to strip Hungary of its voting rights could become a real option,” said one EU diplomat.

Next week’s vote on aid to Ukraine is essential both for Ukraine and the EU’s messaging to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine has the unanimous backing of Western allies. In December, Orbán blocked the EU’s effort to send aid to Ukraine, in a mark of support to Putin. Orbán said then he would be willing to unblock his veto only if the EU unblocked its own frozen aid to Hungary for its rule-of-law violations.

European leaders are also keen to show continued support as Washington struggles to agree on its own financial injections to Kyiv.

The Pentagon announced Tuesday that Ukraine’s frontline soldiers are running out of ammunition without continued U.S. support. And with the potential comeback of former — and current Republican candidate — U.S. President Donald Trump’s pro-Kremlin agenda, there is a sense of urgency among Europe’s leaders.

For years, the European Union has attempted to keep Hungary’s democratic backsliding in line, withholding aid as the country slid away from the bloc’s liberal values. In return, Orbán used tactical vetoes on a wide range of European files to wrangle more money in years past.

“It’s clear that heads of state and government are fed up with Orbán,” said Steven Van Hecke, a European politics professor at KU Leuven. “It’s time for Orbán to realize that the threat of Article 7 now exists.”

And there is little patience for uncertainty.