U.S. Sens/ Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), co-chairs of the U.S. Senate NATO Observer Group, issued the following joint statement regarding the ratification by Türkiye’s Parliament of Sweden’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) accession protocols and calling on Hungary to ratify without delay:

“We commend the Parliament of Türkiye on its ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession protocols. Sweden will bring unrivalled capabilities to the Alliance and has worked diligently to fulfill all aspects of the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding agreed to by Sweden, Finland and Türkiye. As Russia’s unprovoked, brutal invasion of Ukraine approaches its third year, NATO has only grown stronger with the addition of two new capable Allies. NATO will remain united in holding Putin accountable and will continue to prevent him from fulfilling his delusional expansionist agenda.

“Hungary now remains the only NATO Ally that has not ratified Sweden’s accession, and we call on the Hungarian government to fulfill its obligation to the transatlantic community by immediately ratifying Sweden’s accession protocols.”

The Senate NATO Observer Group, re-established by co-chairs Shaheen and Tillis in 2018, has an expanded mission to closely monitor and inform Senators outside of national security committees about defense spending commitments of Alliance members, the process of upgrading military capabilities, the Alliance’s counter-terrorism capability, NATO enlargement and the ability of NATO member states to address unconventional warfare threats.

Shaheen and Tillis recently met with the Turkish delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to commend Türkiye’s contributions to NATO and European security and call on Türkiye’s to swiftly approve Sweden’s NATO accession protocols. Shaheen and Tillis also repeatedly called for Finland and Sweden’s swift accession into NATO in response to the respective nations announcing their intent to join the transatlantic Alliance in May 2022.

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