Sweden Welcomes Turkey's First Step Toward NATO Membership Approval

Sweden has applauded the approval of the protocol for Sweden's NATO membership by the Turkish parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and awaits the parliamentary vote, as announced by Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.

"We welcome the Turkish Committee on Foreign Affairs' approval of Sweden's NATO membership application. The next step is a parliamentary vote on this matter," he wrote on social media. "We look forward to the opportunity to become a NATO member," the minister added.

The Turkish parliamentary committee on foreign affairs recently supported the "Proposal on the Expediency of Approving the Protocol on the Participation of the Kingdom of Sweden in NATO." They positively evaluated Sweden's steps taken in accordance with Ankara's earlier demands to combat terrorism.

"It is unrealistic to expect that the Swedish government will immediately fulfil all our demands. This is a process, and this process requires long-term and consistent efforts," said Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar, adding that Turkey will continue to monitor Sweden's progress.

The committee began discussing Sweden's NATO membership last month, but the session was postponed after lawmakers from Erdogan's ruling party requested a delay, citing the need for additional clarification and stating that negotiations with Sweden were insufficiently "mature."

On Tuesday, the committee resumed its discussions, with a significant majority of lawmakers voting in favour of Sweden's application for accession. The protocol for Sweden's NATO membership must now be approved by the Turkish General Assembly for the final legislative stage. The date of the parliamentary vote in Turkey has not been set yet.

For the ratification of the protocol for Sweden's NATO membership, a simple majority of participants in the vote is required. It is expected to take place within a few weeks. Afterward, the protocol must be signed by the President of Turkey.

Recall that in 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland jointly applied for NATO membership. Following Finland's accession, Sweden faced unexpected objections from Turkey and Hungary.

Hungary claimed that Swedish politicians spoke "blatant lies" about the state of democracy in Hungary. Therefore, Hungary did not announce when the ratification of Sweden's application might occur.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Erdogan openly linked the ratification of Sweden's NATO membership to the approval by the U.S. Congress of Turkey's request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits for the modernization of Turkey's existing fleet.