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“I ask whether the honourable Parliament will accept Bill number 638. Please vote…I will read out the results. The honourable parliament has passed the bill with 188 votes for, with six against.”
An historic moment for Europe heard in Hungary's parliament.
The parliament voted in favour of approving Sweden's bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as the alliance's 32nd member.
Hungary's vote ended 18 months of delays for Sweden and has removed the final hurdle for the Nordic country's NATO ambitions.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says it's a huge step considering the country's history of neutrality.
"Sweden is leaving behind 200 years of neutrality and military non-alignment. It's a big step and something to take seriously but it is also a very natural step that we take. Membership in NATO means that we now come home to a large number of democracies' cooperation for peace and freedom. A very successful cooperation."
Sweden's neutrality emerged following the Napoleonic wars in the early 19th century where the Kingdom of Sweden lost a third of its territory to Russia including the annexation of Finland in 1809.
Since then, Sweden's policy of neutrality and then of military non-alignment has since lasted through two world wars as well as the Cold War.
But, following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the country applied for membership to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg with its neighbour Finland after polls in both countries showed a huge surge in support for the alliance due to security concerns.
Now, Mr Stoltenberg has described Hungary's vote as an "historic day".
"It makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and all of us more secure. It also demonstrates that NATO's door is open, that President Putin did not succeed in his attempt to close NATO's door."
But why, after applying in May of 2022, has it taken so long for Sweden's NATO bid to be realised?
Firstly, all NATO applicants require the ratification of all other alliance members before they can join.
While Finland was approved as NATO's 31st member last April, Sweden has faced a number of obstacles from Turkiye and Hungary.
Sweden was able to secure Turkiye's approval last month largely due to new anti-terrorism laws introduced last June partially aimed at addressing Turkish concerns that the country wasn't effectively cracking down on militant groups who have attacked Turkiye.
But Hungary has posed a different challenge, as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's right-wing nationalist government has taken a more Russia-friendly approach and has bristled at pressure applied to it from other NATO members.
However, following Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's visit on Friday during which the two countries signed an arms deal, Mr Orbán finally announced his approval of Sweden's accession while criticisng those he saw as attempting to force his hand.
"We have a long relationship with the Nordic country, coloured with several disputes. Many tried to interfere into settling our disputes from the outside. Only this did not help, but hindered the case. Hungary is a sovereign country and does not tolerate others dictating to it, be it about the content of the agreement or its timing."
Another point of contention has been the criticism of Hungary's democracy by some Swedish politicians who echoed sentiments seen in a 2022 European Union report which accused Mr Orbán of creating what it called an "electoral autocracy".
The Hungarian leader says he has made the decision to approach the two country's differences with understanding rather than conflict.
"There will continue to be differences of opinion because Swedes and Hungarians are not the same but we look at our differences with understanding, because that is how serious nations behave."
So now with Sweden set to ascend to membership status, what will that mean for Europe's pushback against Russia's invasion of Ukraine which has now entered its third year?
Sweden has recently increased its military spending significantly and has committed to providing some of their approximately 50,000 soldiers to strengthen NATO forces in Latvia.
Their membership, along with Finland's, means Russia will also be surrounded by NATO members in the Baltic Sea.
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says, above all, it demonstrates solidarity with Ukraine and a broader commitment to international order.
“As far as Russia is concerned, the only thing we can safely expect is that they do not like Sweden becoming a NATO member. They didn't like Finland becoming a NATO member either. The whole purpose was to emphasise that a country like Ukraine would not be allowed to choose its own path. Instead of accepting that Russia had veto rights over Ukraine's way forward, NATO has now, soon instead gained two new members. Russia does not like it. What else they do, we cannot know. We are prepared for all sorts of things."
