Turkiye’s parliament has approved Sweden’s NATO membership bid after more than four hours of debates, bringing the Nordic country closer to enter the western military alliance after months of delay.
Turkey’s parliament on January 23 voted to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid after a four-hour long debate, bringing the Nordic country a step closer to joining the military alliance.
Out of the 346 members of parliament who participated in the voting, 287 voted in favor of Sweden’s accession, while 55 voted against it. Four members abstained from voting.
The vote was the second step of Turkey’s ratification process after the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission approved the bid last month. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can now sign the protocol into law.
Voting in the parliament was second step of Turkey’s ratification process after approval of the bid by the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission last month. Next, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will sign the protocol into law, which he is expected to do in the coming days, according to Turkish media.
Swedish PM calls the development “positive”
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson calling the development “positive said that after approval from Turkish parliament Stockholm was “one step closer” to joining the alliance.
“Positive that the Grand General Assembly of Turkiye has voted in favour of Sweden’s NATO accession,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February that year. While, Finland successfully joined NATO in April 2023, thereby doubling the alliance’s border with Russia, Sweden encountered multiple delays in its journey toward accession.
Hungary still waiting a Nato accession
Hungary is the last holdout in a Nato accession plan.Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday he had invited Kristersson, for a visit to negotiate his country joining the military alliance.
Turkey initially objected Sweden’s bid
Initially, Erdogan opposed Sweden’s membership bid, alleging that Swedish officials were too lenient on militant groups, specifically mentioning the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). However, since submitting its application, Sweden has strengthened its anti-terror legislation and committed to closer collaboration with Turkey on shared security concerns.
Erdogan’s endorsement of Sweden’s accession bid hinges on a commitment from the United States. The Turkish president has indicated that he will not sign the protocol into law unless the US approves the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.