Hungarian government

He is a former close associate of the Hungarian government

Turkey and Hungary are both difficult allies of the United States. Both held up NATO's enlargement just when Washington needed the greatest possible coalition against Russia and maximum support for Ukraine. The leaders of both countries have good relations with Vladimir Putin.

Hungary's parliament is expected to ratify Sweden's NATO bid Monday, ending more than a year of delay that left fellow defence alliance partners furious as Ukraine fought off Russian troops.

Hungary remains the last obstacle to Stockholm's NATO membership after Türkiye ratified their request in January.

The Hungarian Parliament could not vote today in an emergency session on the ratification of the agreement on Sweden's membership in NATO due to the lack of a quorum, announced the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Sandor Lezak.

The interior ministers of EU member states agreed on Thursday in Luxembourg on a common position to revamp the bloc's migration and asylum policy, although staunchly anti-migration countries Hungary and Poland voiced strong opposition.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (R) receives Bosnian Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in his office in Budapest, Hungary, 26 May 2023. EPA-EFE/NOEMI BRUZAK

Both leaders sent pointed signals. Orban gave Francis a copy of a 1243 letter from Hungary's King Bela IV, asking Pope Innocent IV for help repelling Mongol invaders - a possible dig at the pope's welcoming attitude to migrants.

"If we differ on the most existential of issues, it will be hard to cooperate on other fronts," summarises Andrzej Sadecki, head of the Central Europe team and a Hungary specialist at OSW, the Warsaw-based Center for Eastern Studies.

The state of the Czech environment is among the worst in the EU, and inferior to all of its Visegrad peers, according to the 2023 Prosperity Index, published on Tuesday. High greenhouse gas emissions, poor efficiency, drought and rising volumes of waste helped push the Czech environment down into 22nd place out of the 27 member states.

The Hungarian parliament, dominated by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing Fidesz party, ratified Finland's NATO membership Monday after months of diplomatically charged delay.

A large majority of lawmakers -- 182 votes for versus six against -- approved the accession of the Nordic country into the military alliance.