STOCKHOLM: Sweden still hopes to be a member of NATO by the time of the alliance’s summit in Vilnius in July, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Friday.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine convinced Sweden and Finland last year to ditch long-held policies of military non-alignment and seek security of NATO’s collective defense commitment.
Finland joined NATO last month, but Sweden’s membership has been held up by objections from Turkiye and Hungary.
“There isn’t going to be any plan B or anything like that. Plan B is plan A — that is full membership in NATO and that is what I and the government are going to work for all the way to Vilnius,” he told reporters.
Turks vote in the second round of a tight presidential election on Sunday, with incumbent Tayyip Erdogan leading after the first ballot.
Billstrom said he hoped Turkiye’s parliament would begin the ratification process after the dust has settled.
“It is time for Turkiye to start its ratification process and uphold its part of the bargain,” Billstrom said.
Sweden and Finland struck a three-way deal in Madrid in June last year aimed at addressing Turkiye’s security worries.
But Ankara has continued to drag its heels over Sweden, saying Stockholm harbors members of militant groups it considers to be terrorists.
Hungary has also objected to Sweden’s application citing grievances over Swedish criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s record on democracy and the rule of law.
Billstrom said it was unclear what objections Budapest had to Sweden’s membership.
“Hungary gave its support at the summit in Madrid last year for Sweden to be given invitee status without any conditions,” he said. “It is our firm opinion that they should start ratification.”
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Swedish foreign minister says ambition is to join NATO by July
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Swedish foreign minister says ambition is to join NATO by July
- Finland joined NATO last month, but Sweden's membership has been held up by objections from Turkiye and Hungary
- Billstrom said he hoped Turkiye’s parliament would begin the ratification process after the dust has settled
Bangladesh leader considered top PM candidate returns from exile ahead of polls
DHAKA: Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after nearly 17 years in exile, a homecoming the party hopes will energise supporters with Rahman poised to be the top contender for prime minister in the February 12 elections.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the route from the capital’s airport to the reception venue, waving party flags and carrying placards, banners, and flowers, while chanting slogans welcoming Rahman, as senior BNP leaders received him at the Dhaka airport under tight security.
Rahman, 60, the son of ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has lived in London since 2008 and led the BNP as acting chairman since 2018.
Dressed in a light grey, finely checkered blazer over a crisp white shirt, Rahman waved to the crowd with a gentle smile.
He had been unable to return while facing multiple criminal cases at home. Rahman was convicted in absentia on charges that included money laundering and in a case linked to an alleged plot to assassinate former prime minister Sheikh Hasina but the rulings were overturned after Hasina was ousted last year in a student-led uprising, clearing the legal barriers to his return.
His homecoming also carries personal urgency, with Khaleda Zia seriously ill for months. Party officials said Rahman would travel from the airport to a reception venue before visiting his mother.
The political landscape has shifted sharply since Hasina’s removal from power, ending decades in which she and Khaleda Zia largely alternated in office. A December survey by the US-based International Republican Institute suggested the BNP is on course to win the largest number of parliamentary seats, with the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party also in the race.
Hasina’s Awami League party, which has been barred from the election, has threatened unrest that some fear could disrupt the vote.
Bangladesh is heading into the polls under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. While authorities have pledged a free and peaceful election, recent attacks on media outlets and sporadic violence have raised concerns, making Rahman’s return a defining moment for the BNP and the country’s fragile political transition.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the route from the capital’s airport to the reception venue, waving party flags and carrying placards, banners, and flowers, while chanting slogans welcoming Rahman, as senior BNP leaders received him at the Dhaka airport under tight security.
Rahman, 60, the son of ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has lived in London since 2008 and led the BNP as acting chairman since 2018.
Dressed in a light grey, finely checkered blazer over a crisp white shirt, Rahman waved to the crowd with a gentle smile.
He had been unable to return while facing multiple criminal cases at home. Rahman was convicted in absentia on charges that included money laundering and in a case linked to an alleged plot to assassinate former prime minister Sheikh Hasina but the rulings were overturned after Hasina was ousted last year in a student-led uprising, clearing the legal barriers to his return.
His homecoming also carries personal urgency, with Khaleda Zia seriously ill for months. Party officials said Rahman would travel from the airport to a reception venue before visiting his mother.
The political landscape has shifted sharply since Hasina’s removal from power, ending decades in which she and Khaleda Zia largely alternated in office. A December survey by the US-based International Republican Institute suggested the BNP is on course to win the largest number of parliamentary seats, with the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party also in the race.
Hasina’s Awami League party, which has been barred from the election, has threatened unrest that some fear could disrupt the vote.
Bangladesh is heading into the polls under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. While authorities have pledged a free and peaceful election, recent attacks on media outlets and sporadic violence have raised concerns, making Rahman’s return a defining moment for the BNP and the country’s fragile political transition.
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