HELSINKI: Dialogue regarding the ratification of NATO membership is continuing with Türkiye and it is going quite well, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Wednesday.
He expressed optimism that Hungary would also ratify Sweden’s application as well, after he spoke with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto a few days ago.
“We have also had quite positive remarks made during that conversation,” Billstrom told a news conference in Helsinki in connection with a Nordic Council meeting in the Finnish capital.
“We see a positive and progressive movement forward when it comes to the ratification by Hungary towards the Swedish and the Finnish applications,” he said.
Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto also said earlier in the day that he was counting on Hungary to ratify the Nordic country’s NATO application after he had talked on the phone with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“Good that Finland can count on Hungary in our NATO ratification. I look forward to further strengthening our Fenno-Ugric connection also as allies,” Niinisto said on Twitter, referring to the countries’ shared linguistic history. –Agencies
