Hungary’s parliament will not ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO before the summer break, as it has not included a vote on the matter on its agenda next week, Reuters reports, citing Budapest media.

This information was first reported by the Hungarian news sites hvg.hu and index.hu.

The press service of the Hungarian Parliament did not confirm this information, noting that the next week’s agenda should be finalized during the meeting of the specialized parliamentary committee on Thursday.

However, opposition deputy Agnes Vadai said that the vote on Sweden’s accession to NATO will not be included in the agenda.

Sweden and its northern neighbor Finland abandoned decades of military neutrality after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began last year, formally asking to be admitted to NATO in May.

Finland officially became NATO’s 31st member in April, but the process is more complicated for Sweden, which faces opposition from Budapest and Ankara.

Although the ratification of the two countries’ accession process has been blocked in the Hungarian parliament since July 2022, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán only spoke out against their accession in February.

Hungary cites ‘terribly bad relations’ in decision to block Sweden’s NATO membership

Among other criticisms, he accused the two Nordic countries of spreading “brazen” lies about the state of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary. However, the Hungarian parliament finally ratified Finland’s accession a month later.

But Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and members of his cabinet have since repeatedly expressed objections to Sweden’s admission into the alliance, blaming it on poor diplomatic relations between the two countries.

At the end of last month, Orbán reiterated his position on the matter, citing the “terribly bad” relationship between Budapest and Stockholm.

His chief of staff had previously asked Swedish politicians to stop commenting on Hungary’s internal affairs, but claimed it was “clear as day that we support Sweden’s accession”.

“Some Hungarian parliamentarians feel uncomfortable (about this introduction) because they saw how in recent years some members of the Swedish government made it a habit to always question the state of democracy in Hungary, they insulted voters and Hungarians. parliamentarians, and with them the whole of Hungary,” the Hungarian official justified.

However, the ruling Fidesz party has a large majority in the Hungarian parliament, and ratification of the accession should not be a problem for it.

Sweden’s prospects for joining NATO were dealt another blow on Wednesday after a copy of the Koran was again burned in Stockholm during a police-sanctioned protest, a gesture that has already sparked a strong reaction from Turkey.