- Turkish legislators approve Sweden’s accession to NATO, with only Hungary remaining to ratify Sweden’s entry.
- Turkey had been delaying Sweden’s membership, citing concerns about leniency towards security threats.
- Sweden’s expected NATO membership would strengthen the alliance and send a message to Putin regarding aggression against Ukraine.
Additional Coverage:
- Turkey’s parliament approves Sweden’s NATO membership (cbsnews.com)
Turkish legislators have given their approval for Sweden to join NATO, clearing a major obstacle in its path to membership. The ratification of Sweden’s accession protocol was endorsed by a majority vote in the Turkish parliament, with only Hungary now remaining as the sole NATO ally yet to ratify Sweden’s entry. The ratification process will go into effect once it is published in the Official Gazette. NATO requires unanimous approval from all existing members for expansion, and Turkey and Hungary were the two countries holding out on Sweden’s membership.
Turkey had been delaying Sweden’s membership for over a year, citing concerns about the country’s leniency towards groups Turkey considers security threats. Turkey had also demanded concessions from Sweden, including a tougher stance against Kurdish militants and a network blamed for a failed coup in 2016. Sweden’s expected accession to NATO would not only strengthen the alliance but also send a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding aggression against Ukraine.
In July 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finally agreed to support Sweden’s NATO bid, paving the way for its ratification. The U.S. and NATO officials have welcomed Turkey’s decision and the progress made towards Sweden’s membership. The addition of Sweden and Finland to NATO would showcase the alliance’s unity and strength. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in 2022.
Last month, the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden’s bid, after Erdogan sent the accession protocol to lawmakers for approval. Steps taken by Sweden to meet Turkish demands, such as lifting restrictions on defense industry sales and amending anti-terrorism laws, have been cited as reasons to support their membership. While the main opposition party in Turkey supported Sweden’s membership, a center-right party and the pro-Kurdish party opposed it.
The sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and the lifting of arms embargoes on the country were linked to Sweden’s NATO membership. The Biden administration did not formally tie the sale of F-16s to Turkey’s ratification but influential members of Congress had expressed their support for the sale contingent on Sweden’s accession. It is expected that the F-16 sale will proceed quickly following Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s membership.
Sweden and Finland chose to seek NATO protection after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Hungary has also been delaying Sweden’s bid, citing concerns about Swedish politicians’ comments regarding Hungary’s democracy. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has invited his Swedish counterpart to Budapest to discuss Sweden’s entry into NATO.
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