Turkey’s Parliament advances approval for Sweden’s NATO bid

by Sarah Fortinsky - 12/26/23 3:39 PM ET

FILE - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waits for the start of a round table meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has submitted a protocol for Sweden’s admission into NATO to Turkey’s parliament for ratification, his office said Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Erdogan had been delaying ratification of Sweden’s membership, accusing Stockholm of being too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups he considers to be security threats. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waits for the start of a round table meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

The Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday approved Sweden’s bid to join NATO, sending the measure to the country’s full general assembly for a vote.

The head of the committee, however, told reporters that no date has been set for the vote and that it was unlikely to be held quickly, The New York Times reported.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden each applied to join NATO — a significant step that requires the approval of all the military alliance’s member states. Finland joined NATO in April, becoming the 31st member, after Turkey’s parliament ratified its bid.

Yet Turkey and Hungary have continued to delay approval of Sweden’s bid. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week said his country’s ratification of Sweden’s membership would depend on U.S. congressional approval of the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

The White House has expressed support for the sale, but there are some reservations in Congress.

“Positive developments from the United States regarding the F-16 issue and Canada keeping its promises will accelerate our parliament’s positive view on [Sweden’s membership],” Erdoğan said in comments reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency last week.

“All of these are linked,” he said at the time, adding that Canada and other NATO allies must also lift their arms embargoes.

On Tuesday, Swedish and NATO officials celebrated the approval by the Turkish Foreign Affairs Committee.

“We welcome that the foreign affairs committee in Turkey approved Sweden’s NATO application,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “The next step is for parliament to vote on the issue. We look forward to becoming a member of @NATO.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also praised the Turkish committee’s vote and, The Associated Press reported, called on Turkey and Hungary “to now complete their ratifications as soon as possible. Sweden’s membership will make NATO stronger.”

Tags Jens Stoltenberg NATO Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Russia-Ukraine war