Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has given his approval to submit Sweden’s request to join the NATO military alliance to the Turkish parliament, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg made the announcement on Monday ahead of a NATO summit in Vilnius.
Erdogan’s decision means that the accession protocol for Sweden will be forwarded to the grand national assembly for ratification. The exact timing of the ratification by the Turkish parliament has yet to be determined.
Last year, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, signaling a departure from their longstanding policy of military non-alignment due to changing security dynamics following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While Finland’s application received approval in April, Turkey and Hungary had withheld support for Sweden’s bid.
Ahead of the NATO summit, Sweden, the United States, and its allies have been actively lobbying Turkey to lift its opposition. Erdogan has cited concerns about Sweden harboring members of militant groups, particularly supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), whom he accuses of organizing demonstrations and financing terrorist activities. Anti-Turkish protests in Stockholm have further fueled his objections.
On the other hand, Sweden asserts that it has fulfilled all the conditions agreed upon in negotiations with Turkey, including passing a new law that criminalizes membership in a terrorist organization. Sweden also emphasizes that freedom of speech is protected by its constitution.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff has recently stated that Hungary will not block the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership.
