A parliamentary commission in Turkey has given its approval for Sweden’s accession to NATO. The bill has now been forwarded to the General Assembly of the Turkish parliament for further consideration. This decision marks a notable shift, as Ankara had previously withheld support for Sweden’s application to join the military alliance.
The impetus for this change came after Sweden took a firmer stance on Kurdish migrants, whom Turkey considers to be associated with terrorist activities. In a surprising turn of events, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan endorsed Sweden’s application, officially referring it to the parliament for deliberation and adding his signature to the document.
The next crucial step involves a vote by the assembly members of the Turkish parliament on this matter. According to Reuters, the relevant bills have already been submitted for review.
However, Fuat Oktay, the head of the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs commission, cautioned that a swift decision should not be anticipated. The timeline for a parliamentary vote on Sweden’s NATO bid remains uncertain. The speaker of the General Assembly clarified this during discussions with reporters.
It’s worth noting that both Sweden and Finland sought NATO membership in 2022, prompted by Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. While Finland officially became a member of the North Atlantic Alliance on April 4, 2023, Sweden’s admission still awaits approval from Turkey and Hungary.
