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Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has invited his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, to visit Hungary, as announced by the Hungarian Prime Minister’s press chief on Tuesday. Since then, a reply has been received from the Swedish Prime Minister, Svt.se reports.
According to the letter of invitation, the discussions would focus on Sweden’s NATO accession and the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries. As Hungary Today wrote earlier, the timing of the invitation was no coincidence, because the Turkish Parliament was due to vote on Sweden’s accession this week. Since then, the Turkish Parliament has voted in favor of it by a decisive majority.
In a response letter published by Svt.se, Ulf Kristersson agreed with Viktor Orbán that a more intensive political dialogue between the two countries is needed.
He stated:
The completion of the ratification process of Sweden’s NATO membership in the Hungarian Parliament will create a solid foundation to move ahead in our bilateral relationship, and to reinforce mutual understanding and trust.”
He continued that he was looking forward to discussing all the issues in Budapest, adding that they will have an opportunity to meet at the European Council in Brussels on February 1.
Sweden has suddenly changed its position, since, as Magyar Nemzet recalls,
on Tuesday the Swedish Foreign Minister responded to Orbán’s invitation by saying that there was nothing to discuss with the Hungarian government.
In the past two days, not only the Foreign Minister, but also members of the Swedish parliamentary parties and experts in the press have said that there is nothing to negotiate with Hungary, and they seemed to be treating the issue with the same arrogance that they had in the past.
Meanwhile, Index has learned from Hungarian government sources that after Kristersson accepted the invitation,
the two sides already began to discuss the date and content of the visit.
Orbán already had a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday after the Turkish parliamentary vote. The head of government stressed his support for Sweden’s accession and urged parliament to finalize ratification.
Just finished a phone call with @NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg. I reaffirmed that the Hungarian government supports the NATO-membership of #Sweden. I also stressed that we will continue to urge the Hungarian National Assembly to vote in favor of Sweden’s accession and…
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) January 24, 2024
Via svt.se, Index, Magyar Nemzet; Featured image: Facebook/Orbán Viktor