The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee was ready to resume discussions on Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Tuesday, but the meeting was postponed after lawmakers tabled a postponement motion.
The discussion was due to begin days after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan linked Sweden’s admission to the alliance to US approval of Turkey’s request to buy F-16 fighter jets.
Turkey withdrew its objections to Sweden joining NATO back in July, but the ratification process in parliament stalled. Turkey accuses Sweden of not taking security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers a security threat.
This month, Erdoğan linked Sweden’s NATO membership ratification to the US Congress’ approval of Turkey’s request to buy 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernise its current fleet. The White House supported Turkey’s request for the F-16s, but Congress objected to the sale of military equipment.
Sweden and Finland abandoned neutrality, expressing their desire to join the alliance, after the war in Ukraine broke out in February 2022. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATO’s 31st member, following the Turkish parliament’s ratification of the bid.
Admission to the alliance requires unanimous approval from all existing members, but Turkey and Hungary remain the only countries resisting enlargement. Hungary halted Sweden’s application, claiming Swedish politicians had spoken “blatant lies” about Hungarian democracy.
