Sweden still confident in rapid NATO accession

With only days to go until the NATO summit in Vilnius, the Swedish government still hopes that the country can become a member of the defense alliance by then, despite the fact that Turkey and Hungary – which have yet to ratify the process – have not scheduled a vote on the issue so far.

Stockholm, 2023. március 7. Ulf Kristersson svéd miniszterelnök (b) és Jens Stoltenberg NATO-fõtitkár sajtótájékoztatót tart Stockholmban 2023. március 7-én. MTI/EPA/TT Hírügynökség/Jonas Ekstromer Fotó: Jonas Ekstromer

Sweden has had a social debate in recent months about whether it is legal to burn the holy book in public, with politicians and authorities making it clear that it is. Even the most recent Quran burning was carried out with police permission. Such events are permitted in the name of free speech and expression, even though it's clear that they could affect the process of NATO accession.

Theoretically, there is still the possibility that Turkey and Hungary will ratify Sweden's NATO application before the summit , to be held on 11–12 July, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not made any statements to this effect. To the contrary, he has regularly criticized the Swedish government, making it clear that he will not support the Scandinavian country's accession for the time being. It is also a certainty that Hungary's parliament will not vote on the issue this week, in line with last week's announcement.

Cover photo: Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson (l) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holding a press briefing in Stockholm, on March 7, 2023 (Photo: MTI/EPA/TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer)