“Today is a historic day … Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security,” Kristersson said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“Now that all Allies have approved, Sweden will become the 32nd #NATO Ally,” Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Sweden’s membership will make us all stronger and safer.”
Hungary to let Sweden into Nato following jet fighter deal
Hungary to let Sweden into Nato following jet fighter deal
The US ambassador to Hungary said Sweden’s Nato accession will advance the security of the alliance.
Earlier on Monday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had asked fellow lawmakers to approve Sweden’s bid.
“The Swedish-Hungarian military cooperation and Sweden’s accession to Nato will strengthen Hungary’s security,” Orban told parliament.
Ahead of the vote, Orban’s nationalist Fidesz party – whose ruling coalition with the Christian Democratic KDNP holds a two-thirds majority in parliament – had indicated it would support Sweden’s bid.
All opposition parties except the far-right Our Homeland movement were in favour of ratification.
Though repeatedly saying it supported Swedish membership in principle, Hungary kept prolonging the process by asking Stockholm to stop “vilifying” the Hungarian government.
Budapest accused Swedish officials of being “keen to bash Hungary” on rule-of-law issues.
Hungary ruling party postpones Swedish Nato bid vote
Hungary ruling party postpones Swedish Nato bid vote
Unanimous support among all Nato members is required to admit new countries, and Hungary is the last of the alliance’s 31 members to give its backing since Turkey ratified the request last month.
After a meeting on Friday between Orban and Kristersson in Budapest, the nationalist Hungarian leader announced that the two had clarified “our mutual good intentions”.
Hungary also signed a deal to acquire four Swedish-made fighter jets, expanding its existing fleet of 14 Jas-39 Gripen fighters.
In the case of Finland, Turkey was the last to give the green light on March 30, 2023, and Finland became a Nato member on April 4.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, most Nato members were keen to quickly approve the membership bids of both Finland and Sweden.
For Sweden, Ankara cited security concerns, before moving ahead with the ratification.
In Hungary’s delay, some experts saw a strategy to wring concessions from Brussels to unlock billions of euros in frozen funds.
Turkey formally ratifies Sweden’s Nato membership
Turkey formally ratifies Sweden’s Nato membership
For analyst Mate Szalai of Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University, Orban was simply playing to his domestic audience.
“Orban wanted to go as far as he could without causing serious problems to the Transatlantic community while proving that Hungary is a power to be reckoned with,” he told Agence France-Presse.
While Hungary’s “confrontational behaviour” did not reap any tangible results, it might have “been beneficial domestically for the ruling Fidesz party”, he added.
“Many initiatives of the Hungarian government are designed to provoke a backlash in Europe,” said Szalai.
“And most criticism expressed towards the Orban government [from outside Hungary] actually helps Fidesz to maintain its popularity in the country.”
Additional reporting by Reuters, Associated Press