The Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has given the green light for Sweden to join NATO, The Guardian reports.
Sweden’s application to join NATO has been in limbo for months amid opposition from Turkey and Hungary, and recently it was further complicated after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan linked it to the receipt of F-16 fighter jets from the United States.
Turkey and Hungary remain the only NATO members that have not ratified Sweden’s application 19 months after it applied for membership. Finland became NATO’s 31st member in April. To join the defence alliance, Sweden and Finland abandoned decades of military non-alignment.
Opposition CHP party lawmaker Utku Cakirozer, a member of the foreign affairs committee, told Agence France-Presse:
The protocol [on Sweden’s NATO accession] passed the committee.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the committee vote and said he expected Turkey and Hungary to finalise ratification “as soon as possible…. Swedish membership will make NATO stronger.” The next step will be a vote in the Turkish parliament, the Swedish Foreign Minister said. Tobias Billstrom told the Swedish TV channel SVT Nyheter:
We look forward to becoming a member of NATO.
In July, Turkish President Erdoğan withdrew his objections after Sweden and Finland agreed in a “trilateral memorandum” to address the Turkish government’s concerns about Kurdish activities. NATO allies have increased pressure on Turkey, with France saying the alliance’s credibility is “at stake”.
Erdoğan said in December that Sweden’s bid would be considered if Washington agreed to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. He also said NATO allies, including Canada, should lift the arms embargo imposed on Turkey.
