Budapest, February 27 (QNA) - Hungarys parliament has voted to ratify Swedens accession to NATO, clearing the final obstacle to its membership.
Mondays vote, which passed with 188 members for and six against, was a culmination of more than 18 months of wrangling by Hungarys allies to persuade its nationalist government to lift its block on Swedens membership.
The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban submitted the protocols for approving Swedens entry into NATO in July 2022, but the matter had stalled in parliament over opposition by governing party lawmakers.
Unanimous support among all NATO members is required to admit new countries, and Hungary is the last of the alliances 31 members to give its backing since Turkey ratified the request last month.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called it "a historic day".
"We stand ready to shoulder our share of the responsibility for NATOs security," Kristersson wrote on X. (QNA)