Erdogan to meet, celebrate and may agree on Sweden’s NATO accession with Orbán

Two NATO leaders opposed Sweden’s NATO accession after Stockholm submitted their plea: Orbán and Erdogan. Sweden’s main adversary was Türkiye, but Orbán helps out his friend so it is not alone in the diplomatic duel. The Orbán-Erdogan meeting today might put an end to that conflict.

The details of Erdogan’s fourth visit to Budapest (after 2013, 2018 and 2019) have been kept secret. The prime minister’s press chief, Bertalan Havasi, kept the press in the dark, saying that the two leaders would discuss economic and political affairs but did not say anything precise about the schedule.

444.hu wrote that the two leaders would probably talk about a possible Ankara-Stockholm agreement over Sweden’s NATO accession. If Türkiye gives the green light, Budapest will not oppose the deal like it happened in the case of Finland earlier.

Read also:

• Sweden and Finland NATO accession: whose interests does Orbán represent?

Strongmen of Europe forging new alliance

Among others, the two strongmen of Europe will probably talk about economic questions (investments in the energy and real estate sectors) and migration issues. Turkish press wrote that Erdogan would only spend one day in Budapest, and his visit is the first step in a global tour during which he would like to meet with the US President and the leaders of Russia and India to discuss global matters.

Based on Turkish press information, he will meet with Putin later this month and that may help solve the food supply crisis following the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Considering that, Erdogan’s Budapest visit is more than symbolic and can be regarded as an acknowledgement of Orbán’s unconditional support towards Erdogan during this year’s presidential election, Világgazdaság wrote.

Read also:

• Orbán: Erdogan opponent a ‘Soros man’, would have been a tragedy if he had won, read more HERE

Of course, some Hungarian political players condemned the Turkish president’s visit. Among others, Momentum Movement hung a banner saying we fought against Ottoman rule for 150 years, so inviting dictator Erdogan on our biggest national day is shameful. Here is a photo: