In an interview with the broadcaster HirTV, Kövér explained that his hesitation in this regard was made even greater by the screening of an educational film in Swedish schools with sharp criticism of the state of Hungarian democracy and its authorities.
“I don’t think we need an ally who has the kind of opinion about us and our patriotism that is expressed in this material,” Kövér noted, wondering what one would expect from such a partner.
When asked whether the Hungarian parliament should ratify Sweden’s admission to the military bloc, Köver replied that he was not sure on the issue.
On September 14, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó published an open letter to his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billström warning that his country’s actions constituted an obstacle to membership in the North Atlantic bloc.
These are serious, partial and unfair accusations against Hungary, said Szijjártó in a message to the Swedish Foreign Ministry, which was simultaneously published on Facebook.
Lawmakers in Budapest have not yet ratified the agreement for Stockholm to join the alliance because they were unhappy with critical statements from Swedish politicians.
In addition to Hungary, Türkiye, among all NATO member states, did not support Sweden’s request.
On March 27, the Hungarian parliament approved Finland’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance, but postponed consideration of the Swedish question.
Finland and Sweden submitted their applications on May 18, 2022, stating that events in Ukraine prompted them to take this step.
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