Stockholm constantly “undermines” relations with Budapest, claims false “moral superiority” and fails to show “care and respect”. This is stated in the article by Hungarian government adviser Zoltan Kovacs. Publication explaining why Hungary has not yet ratified Sweden’s application for NATO membership put on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers About Hungary.
According to Kovacs, Swedish officials have repeatedly sought to “hit” Hungary through diplomatic means in order to “harm” the country’s interests. Thus, Stockholm has developed an “open hostile position” in relation to Budapest, the adviser believes.
He also drew attention to the fact that in 2021 the current Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, as leader of the Moderate Coalition Party, called for pressure on the Hungarian authorities and support for the opposition. Swedish Minister for European Affairs Jessica Roswall, in turn, said that it was necessary to stop transferring financial aid to the country from the European Union. According to Kovacs, Sweden’s Minister for Employment and Integration, Johan Persson, argued that the pressure on Budapest was based on the fact that “the xenophobic and nationalist government of Hungary continues to violate the rule of law “.
According to the adviser, Sweden’s apparent “moral superiority” is “ridiculous” at the moment. Kovacs noted that in mid-January, near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burned the Quran at a rally agreed to by local authorities.
“And it is not Hungary, the alleged violator of the rule of law, which has justified this provocation against Turkey, NATO and any reasonable person in general by saying that it is a “ expression of freedom,” covering overt racism with a mask of moral superiority,” he wrote.
At the same time, as Kovacs notes, Stockholm is not showing “care and respect”, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called Sweden’s desire to join NATO “the right behavior in terms of of logic”. Moreover, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry called these intentions “justified”. Budapest also sent a delegation to Stockholm amid deteriorating relations between the countries to resolve contentious issues. But the counselor mentioned article publication Politico, which, citing sources, wrote that Swedish authorities viewed the delegation’s visit as a “blackmail tactic”.
“Time is running out and since the security of the region is at stake, it would be in everyone’s interest for the Swedes to start moving towards our common goals. But it seems like until they let go of that resentment,” Kovacs summed up.
In 2022, Sweden, together with Finland, applied to join NATO (the Finnish parliament recently supported the decision to join the Alliance), but their membership has not yet been ratified by Hungary and Turkey. Ankara explained the refusal to ratify Sweden’s candidacy by the fact that Stockholm is home to members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which the Turkish authorities consider terrorist, and that in January relations between the countries became complicated due to of the Quran fire near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. At the same time, Turkey is ready to support Finland’s candidacy separately from Sweden.
