The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee has given its consent to Sweden’s bid to join Nato, drawing the previously non-aligned country closer to membership in the western military alliance.
Sweden’s accession protocol will now need to be approved in the Turkish parliament’s general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkey. No date has been set.
Turkey, a Nato member, has delayed ratification of Sweden’s membership for more than a year, accusing it of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.
Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billstrom welcomed the committee’s decision on a message posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Vi välkomnar att utrikesutskottet i Turkiet godkänt Sveriges Nato-ansökan. Nästa steg är att parlamentet ska rösta om frågan. Vi ser fram emot att bli medlem i @NATO
Advertisement— Tobias Billström (@TobiasBillstrom) December 26, 2023
“The next step is for parliament to vote on the matter. We look forward to becoming a member of Nato,” he tweeted.
Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the development, saying that he counts on Turkey and Hungary “to now complete their ratifications as soon as possible. Sweden’s membership will make Nato stronger”.
Hungary has also stalled Sweden’s bid, saying Swedish politicians have told “blatant lies” about the condition of Hungary’s democracy. Hungary has not announced when the country’s ratification may occur.
Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had openly linked ratification of Sweden’s Nato membership to the US Congress’s approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernise Turkey’s existing fleet.
Mr Erdogan also also called on Canada and other Nato allies to lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.
The White House has backed the Turkish F-16 request but there is strong opposition in Congress to military sales to Turkey.
The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee had begun discussing Sweden’s membership of Nato last month.
The meeting however, was adjourned after legislators from Mr Erdogan’s ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement on grounds that some issues needed more clarification and that negotiations with Sweden had not “matured” enough.
On Tuesday, a majority of legislators in the committee voted in favour of Sweden’s application to join.
Briefing the committee before the vote, deputy foreign minister Burak Akcapar cited steps Sweden had taken steps to meet Turkish demands, including lifting restrictions on defence industry sales and amending anti-terrorism laws in ways that “no-one could have imagined five or six years ago”.
“It is unrealistic to expect that the Swedish authorities will immediately fulfil all of our demands. This is a process, and this process requires long-term and consistent effort,” he said, adding that Turkey would continue to monitor Sweden’s progress.
Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under Nato’s security umbrella, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming Nato’s 31st member, after Turkey’s parliament ratified its bid.
Nato requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have been holding out.
The delays have frustrated other Nato allies who were swift to accept Sweden and Finland into the alliance.
