Hungary an “annoying sideshow” in NATO
Hungary, together with Türkiye, is blocking the NATO accession of Sweden. Among other things, Hungary’s concern is that the Scandinavian country criticises Hungary’s democratic system. The Western allies do not understand Hungary’s communication.
Western officials are irritated that Hungary is blocking Sweden’s accession to NATO, Politico reports. After months of delays, Hungarian lawmakers approved Finland’s accession only before Türkiye. But the country continues to delay a decision on Sweden, along with the Turks.
According to Politico, the Hungarian parliament is withholding support for the Swedish bid because Stockholm has criticised the country’s democratic credentials. According to State Secretary Zoltán Kovács, “Stockholm sits on a crumbling throne of moral superiority”.
In the past few days, the government has also raised another grievance against Sweden for joining several other EU Members in a lawsuit against Hungary over anti-LGBTQ laws.
Western countries, however, take Prime Minister Viktor Orbán much less seriously than Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This is because the ever-changing rhetoric of Hungary is difficult for the members of the alliance to understand, the portal writes.
Speaking on condition of anonymity about the internal dynamics of the alliance, a senior European diplomat said Hungary was an “annoying sideshow” in NATO.
Budapest’s position could be part of a broader foreign policy strategy. While many NATO members see Turkey as an extremist within the alliance, Hungary sees it as a friend and role model.
“I think Orban believes deeply in the decline of the West,” Politico quotes Péter Krekó, director of the Political Capital Institute, as saying.
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