Hungary is the last NATO country to ratify Stockholm's application to join the alliance (Reuters)
Hungarian Parliament Speaker Sandor Legak signed the Hungarian Parliament's resolution ratifying Sweden's accession to NATO, and referred the legislation to the country's president's office for issuance, according to Hungarian parliament records.
This decision, signed by the Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, is the last in a series of decisions taken by the northern country since the start of the Russian war on Ukraine regarding approval of Sweden’s joining the alliance.
The Hungarian Parliament approved Sweden's accession to the alliance on February 26, which removed the last obstacle on Stockholm's path to completing joining the alliance, which is a historic step after it had remained neutral since World War II.
Hungary's vote ended months of delay in completing the shift in Sweden's security policy, and came on the heels of a visit by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to Budapest - last Friday - during which the two countries signed an arms deal.
The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban faced pressure from NATO partners to approve Sweden's membership.
The Hungarian president now has about 5 days to issue the legislation.
Sweden's NATO accession protocol, which requires the approval of all 31 members of the alliance, has been suspended since May 2022, and Hungary was the last country to approve it.
Stockholm announced its candidacy to join the alliance after Russia launched a war on Ukraine in February 2022, coinciding with Finland's request to join the alliance in April 2023.
Consequently, both Sweden and Finland abandoned the decades of post-World War II neutrality, with no military alignment since the end of the Cold War.
Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters