US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, normally a fierce critic of the Orbán administration who rarely gives any gestures of kindness to his host country, visited the town of Szentes in South-Eastern Hungary, where Hungarian and American special operation forces took part in joint exercises on Wednesday, 21 February. The US Embassy in Budapest shared an image of the occasion, with Ambassador Pressman standing between soldiers holding up the Hungarian and the American flags.
As per the press release issued by the Embassy, Ambassador Pressman said:
‘Allies’ commitment to Article 5—the concept that an attack on one is an attack on all—makes Hungarians the safest they have ever been in history. Sweden’s accession to NATO is a key priority for every one of Hungary’s Allies. It is time to welcome them into the Alliance as its 32nd member, making Hungary and all of its Allies stronger and safer.’
At the event, the Ambassador witnessed a fire exercise; as well as a demonstration on how to operate special US-built riverine boats. The special watercraft are now in the possession of the Hungarian Defence Forces, as provided by our American NATO allies.
‘The United States is the world leader in defense technology. Hungary’s membership in NATO brings with it access to cutting edge equipment and expertise,’ the ambassador remarked about the American equipment.
The rare show of positivity likely came in anticipation of the vote in the Hungarian parliament on the following Monday, where the National Assembly was expected to ratify Sweden’s accession into NATO, thus making it the 32nd nation in the military alliance.
US politicians have been pressuring Hungary to move faster in approving Sweden’s NATO membership, being the last country to do so. Ambassador Pressman and many of his fellow ambassadors of other NATO nations attended the special parliamentary session on 5 February, where a vote on the Swedish accession had already taken place. Although the proposition in favour won, not enough Members of Parliament attended to make the vote legally binding.
The vote on 26 February, however, yielded the expected result—the National Assembly of Hungary voted in favour of Swedish NATO accession, thus officially making it the alliance’s 32nd member state.
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