Turkey Set to Approve Sweden’s NATO Membership

Turkey’s parliament is set to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid, a key development in expanding the Western military alliance after a delay of 20 months. The Turkish general assembly, where President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling alliance has the majority, will vote on Sweden’s application, first made in 2022 in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Following parliamentary ratification, President Erdogan is expected to sign the approval into law within days, leaving Hungary as the only NATO member state yet to endorse Sweden’s accession.

This development follows Turkey’s endorsement of Finland’s NATO membership in April last year, while Sweden’s bid was delayed. Turkey’s objections initially centered on Sweden’s alleged protection of groups Ankara deems terrorists, particularly the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU, and the US.

In response, Sweden introduced an anti-terrorism bill outlawing membership in terrorist organizations and, along with Finland, Canada, and the Netherlands, took steps to relax Turkey’s arms-export policies. President Erdogan’s approval of Sweden’s bid is also linked to the U.S. decision on the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, a point of contention with the U.S. Congress.

Despite the delay in approving Sweden’s bid, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism that Turkey would soon ratify the membership, leaving Hungary as the next hurdle. Hungary has delayed its decision, citing Sweden’s “openly hostile attitude” and criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The Turkish Foreign Affairs Commission approved Sweden’s bid last month, with Erdogan’s AK Party, nationalist allies MHP, and the main opposition CHP supporting it. Opposition nationalist and Islamist parties rejected it, but MHP leader Devlet Bahceli confirmed the party’s support for Sweden’s bid in the general assembly vote.