SWEDISH Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson accepted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s invitation and emphasized the need for intensive dialogue between the two countries.
Kristersson said he would be glad to meet PM Orbán to discuss Sweden’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) accession and other bilateral matters either in Budapest or during the meeting of the European Council in Brussels on the 1st of February.
The Swedish prime minister said he and his Hungarian counterpart had several issues of common interest such as cooperation within NATO, Hungary’s upcoming European Union presidency, support for Ukraine, and partnership under Sweden’s Jas Gripen Fighter Jet Program.
It can be remembered that Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström declined Orbán’s invitation for negotiations at this point but noted Sweden would be open for a ‘constructive conversation’.
The Turkish parliament approved Sweden’s NATO bid on Tuesday which still needed to be signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before it will be finalized.
Hungary faces growing pressure as it remains the only NATO member state that has yet to ratify Sweden’s NATO accession.
