BUDAPEST: Hungary deepened military cooperation with Sweden on Friday, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announcing the acquisition of four Swedishmade fighter jets ahead of a vote on Stockholm`s Nato bid.

The announcement was a crucial step towards unblocking Sweden`s bid to join the alliance, after resistance from Orban`s nationalist government which accused Swedish officials of being hostile to it over rule-of-law issues.

Budapest has a fleet of 14 Jas-39 Gripen fighter jets it operates under a leasing contract signed in 2001, which has since been extended twice.`Today, we have reached an agreement to add four aircraft to the Hungarian forces` Gripen fleet,` Orban said after talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

`On Monday, the Hungarian parliament will meet and take the necessary decisions, and with this we have closed one phase and opened a new one,` he added.

Kristersson arrived in the Hungarian capital earlier on Friday, just three days ahead of a vote by Hungary`s parliament on the Nordic country`s bid to join Nato.

Hungary remains the last obstacle to Stockholm`s Nato membership after Turkiye`s ratification last month.

Following Russia`s invasion of Ukraine,Sweden and neighbouring Finland applied to join Nato in May 2022.

`The conversation has been constructive and we have agreed to move forward in fields of common interests,` Kristersson said at a press conference after talks with Orban.

`We do not agree on everything, but we do agree that we should work more actively together when we have common ground,` he added.

Earlier on Friday, Orban told state radio that `some pending (bilateral) military and arms issues` had to be worked out before the Hungarian parliament `can put the final seal` on ratification on Monday.

`We are pro-peace, and the Swedes arepro-war in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Orban said, but added that the `clear differences in values` could be bridged.

`On course` Faced with increasing pressure from the United States and fellow EU member states to greenlight Sweden`s Nato bid, Orban announced last week that Budapest was `on course` to ratify it.

His nationalist Fidesz party, whose ruling coalition with the Christian democratic KDNP holds a majority in parliament, indicated it would support Sweden`s bid on Monday.

All opposition parties except the far-rightOur Homeland movement are in favour of ratification.

Although Hungary repeatedly said it supports Stockholm in principle, it prolonged the process by asking Sweden to stop `vilifying` Orban`s government.

It has often denounced what it called Sweden`s `openly hostile attitude`, accusing Swedish representatives of being `keen to bash Hungary` on rule-of-law issues.

Last month, Orban invited the Swedish prime minister to Hungary, citing the need to `build strong mutual trust` through `more intense political dialogue`.

Finland became the 31st member of Nato in April last year.-AFP