The matter of Finland and Sweden's application has been pending in the Hungarian Parliament for several months.Continue reading
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (L) with his Finnish counterpart, Sanna Marin.
Some Hungarian government politicians want to seek assurances from the two new Scandinavian NATO candidates that politically motivated attacks will cease once they join the defense alliance, Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, hinted at the Government Info in Budapest on Saturday. Although Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had in the past expressed his willingness to ratify NATO’s expansion with new members, it seems not everyone is enthusiastic about the proposal.
On the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO it seems some government politicians are unwilling to write a blank check for the new candidates due to the fact that the governments of both have shown a fair amount of hostility towards Budapest in recent years. The minister said that NATO is a defense alliance and they are confident that it will be further strengthened with the accession of the two countries. At the same time, the risks are increasing, especially for Finland’s location.
By allowing them to join, Hungarians are giving a guarantee that they will protect these states with Hungarian soldiers if necessary. If such a commitment is made to them, they will expect an answer as to why Hungary has been slandered regularly in recent years by Swedish and Finnish politicians, he said.
Minister Gergely Gulyás during the press conference. Photo: MTI
Asked about the debate in the Fidesz parliamentary group on the ratification of Finnish and Swedish NATO membership, Gergely Gulyás added that the group had noted that Hungary had very often been criticized in Sweden and Finland, and these attacks have been “completely unfounded, dishonest and unfair”. Moreover, he continued, the Swedish and Finnish judicial systems contain fewer elements that guarantee the rule of law than the Hungarian system.
He said that the diversity of the press in the Scandinavian countries does not meet the high standards that have been set in Hungary, probably hinting at the lack of conservative-leaning media in the two Nordic Countries, and the monopoly that left-wing media giants enjoy there. He also expressed his view that the judiciary does not have the kind of control and appeal forums in Sweden and Finland that have been common in Hungary for years, even decades. Above all, we expect both countries to give Hungary “more respect”, the minister concluded.
Featured Photo: Facebook Sanna Marin