Hungary says Sweden ‘must act differently’ if it wants to join NATO

The Swedish government would “have to act differently” if it wants to gain Turkish support for joining NATO, Hungary’s foreign minister said on Tuesday, adding that a recent Quran-burning protest outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm was “unacceptable”.

Peter Szijjarto made the remark at a press conference after talks with his Turkish counterpart in the Hungarian capital Budapest. Both diplomats addressed the Jan. 21 anti-Turkish protest that heightened tensions between Ankara and Stockholm as Sweden seeks Turkey’s approval to join NATO’s military alliance.

“As a Christian and as a Catholic, I must say that burning a holy book of another religion is an unacceptable act,” Szijjarto said, criticizing a statement by Sweden’s prime minister that while the burning of the Quran was inappropriate and “profound” disrespectful”, it fell under Swedish freedom of speech.

“Claiming that burning a holy book is part of freedom of speech is just stupid,” Szijjarto said, adding that “maybe they (Swedes) should act differently” if they want to secure Ankara’s support.

The Budapest meeting came as Turkey and Hungary remain the only two NATO members that have not approved bids from Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance.

Its northern European neighbors – Finland has the EU’s longest border with Russia – have been closely linked to NATO for decades, but only applied for full membership after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

The unanimous approval and ratification of the treaty by all 30 NATO countries is required to admit new members.

Cavusoglu said Turkey shares Hungary’s desire for NATO expansion, but that it was now “impossible for us to confirm (Sweden’s) entry into the alliance”. He called the Quran-burning protest a “provocation that won’t get us anywhere, it can only lead to chaos”.

Ankara has also said it is dissatisfied with Sweden’s efforts to crack down on groups it considers terrorist or a threat to the country, including Kurdish groups. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Sweden should not expect support from Turkey in its application for membership.

The Hungarian government was expected to vote late last year on admitting Sweden and Finland to NATO. The issue will be on the agenda of the Hungarian parliament at its first session of the year in February, Szijjarto said.

Szijjarto said Hungary has a “clear position” on admitting Sweden and Finland to NATO, but will not try to influence Turkey anyway.

“I never urge other foreign governments to do things that are none of our business,” Szijjarto said.