Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary’s parliament may vote on Sweden’s NATO accession by the end of February if Sweden’s prime minister paid a visit to Hungary first.
“I met my Swedish counterpart on numerous occasions … and I told him: do something to rebuild the trust. Otherwise, we can’t guarantee anything,” Minister Szijjártó said during a panel discussion in Boston on Friday. “What we could guarantee we have done. We have put the issue on the agenda of parliament with the very clear signal that the government supports ratification.” He said both the Swedish premier and foreign minister had visited Turkey before Turkish MPs ratified its accession. “We just asked them to do so with Hungary as well,” he said, adding that there was “a good chance” that ratification could take place on Feb 26 and 27, when Hungarian lawmakers reconvene for the spring session. “But this invitation should be accepted by the Swedish prime minister,” he said.