Hungary is currently the sole ally that has not ratified after Turkey accepts Sweden’s NATO membership

Sweden, which has hitherto been a non-aligned Nordic nation, moved one step closer to joining the military alliance on Thursday after Turkey completed the confirmation of its membership.

As of right present, Hungary is the sole member of NATO without having accepted Sweden’s membership.

In a statement on X, previously known as Twitter, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hailed Turkey’s action, adding that “with this, a key milestone has been reached in Sweden’s path towards NATO membership.”

In a vote on Tuesday, the Turkish parliament approved Sweden’s admission into NATO, ending more than a year and a half of delays that angered other partners who said Sweden’s inclusion would fortify NATO.

The ratification process in Sweden came to a conclusion on Thursday when the presidential decree confirming its accession protocol and the parliament’s acceptance of Sweden’s membership were published in the official gazette of Turkey.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland gave up their long-standing attitude of military nonalignment in order to seek security within NATO. Following the ratification of Finland’s petition by Turkey’s parliament, the Nordic nation became the 31st member of NATO in April.

However, Sweden’s proposal was delayed by Turkey, which withheld approval on the grounds that Sweden was too forgiving to organizations that Ankara views as security concerns. It asked Stockholm to make a number of concessions, including actions to quell extremist Kurds.

In addition, Quran-burning rallies that shook Muslim nations and a string of demonstrations by followers of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in Sweden have infuriated Turkey.

Later on, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan connected the approval to Turkey’s intention to purchase combat planes from the US. In addition, he has urged the lifting of weapons embargoes against Turkey due to human rights concerns by Canada and other NATO partners.

Ankara has put in a request for 40 more F-16 fighter planes and equipment to update its current fleet. Following Turkey’s acceptance, US government officials have said that they anticipate moving forward with the F-16 sale very quickly.

The governing party said that Sweden’s stronger stance against Kurdish extremists was crucial to gaining support during Tuesday’s elections.

According to senior governing party lawmaker Fuat Oktay, Sweden has modified its anti-terrorist legislation, restricted the PKK’s financial operations, found a terrorism suspect guilty, extradited another, and loosened limitations on the supply of weapons to Turkey.

With Turkey completing its certification, Hungary is the focus of attention.

The Hungarian parliament’s schedule does not currently include a vote on the protocols for Sweden’s NATO entrance, and it seems doubtful that MPs would take up the issue until at least late February unless there is an unexpected emergency session.

Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, claims that his government supports Sweden’s entry into NATO, but he has also said that certain Fidesz party members in Sweden have spoken “blatant lies” about Hungary’s democracy, leaving other Fidesz members unimpressed.