ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee gave its approval Tuesday to Sweden's NATO membership application, bringing the previously non-aligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance.
Sweden's accession protocol must now be approved in the General Assembly of the Turkish Parliament for the final phase of the legislative process in Turkey. No date has been set.
Turkey, a NATO member, has delayed ratifying Sweden's membership for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara sees as a threat to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network, which blames Ankara for a failed coup in 2016.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström welcomed the committee's decision in a message on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The next step is for Parliament to vote on the matter. We look forward to joining NATO,” he tweeted.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the development and said he expects Turkey and Hungary to “now complete their ratifications as quickly as possible.” Sweden’s membership will make NATO stronger.”
Hungary also shelved Sweden's offer, claiming Swedish politicians had spread “obvious lies” about the state of Hungarian democracy. Hungary has not announced when the country's ratification might take place.
Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly linked Sweden's ratification of NATO membership to US Congress' approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize Turkey's existing fleet.
Erdogan also called on Canada and other NATO allies to lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.
The White House has supported Turkey's F-16 proposal, but there is strong opposition in Congress to military sales to Turkey.
The Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee began discussing Sweden's NATO membership last month. However, the meeting was postponed after MPs from Erdogan's ruling party made a request to postpone it, saying some issues needed further clarification and negotiations with Sweden were not yet “mature” enough.
On Tuesday, a majority of MPs in the committee voted in favor of Sweden's application for membership.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional position of military non-alignment and sought protection under the NATO security umbrella. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATO's 31st member after the Turkish parliament ratified the Nordic country's request.
NATO requires unanimous consent from all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have held out.
The delays have frustrated other NATO allies, who quickly welcomed Sweden and Finland into the alliance.