ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish lawmakers began debating Tuesday on a long-delayed bill to approve Sweden's NATO membership application, a move that could remove a major hurdle to the previously non-aligned Nordic country joining the military alliance.
Turkey, a NATO member, has been stalling on ratifying Sweden's accession for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups it sees as security threats. It is demanding concessions from Sweden, including a tougher stance against Kurdish militants and members of a network that blames Ankara for the failed coup in 2016.
Turkey is also angered by a series of demonstrations by supporters of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party in Sweden, as well as protests against the burning of the Koran that rocked Muslim countries.
Last month, Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee approved Sweden's offer in the first phase of the legislative process after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted his accession protocol to lawmakers for approval.
Erdogan's ruling party and its nationalist allies have a majority in parliament and the protocol was expected to be approved in a vote later on Tuesday. It will come into force following its publication in the country's official gazette, which is expected to occur expeditiously.
In arguing for Sweden's membership last month, Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar pointed to steps Sweden has taken to meet Turkey's demands, including lifting restrictions on sales of the defense industry and changing anti-terrorism laws.
Sweden has pledged to cooperate more closely with Turkey in combating terrorism and to support Turkey's efforts to revive its EU membership bid.
Turkey's main opposition party also supports Sweden's membership in the alliance, but a center-right party said it would oppose it.
“Sweden's steps regarding the extradition of wanted criminals or the fight against terrorism remained limited and inadequate,” Musavat Dervisoglu, a lawmaker from the Good Party, told parliament.
Erdogan has linked the 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 modernize Turkey's existing fleet. He has also called on Canada and other NATO allies to lift arms embargoes on Turkey.
Koray Aydin, another Good Party lawmaker, urged parliament to wait to ratify Sweden's accession until F-16 sales and modernization rates were approved in Washington, saying Turkey would become an important negotiating tool lose.
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.
Hungary also shelved Sweden's offer, claiming Swedish politicians had spread “obvious lies” about the state of Hungarian democracy. Hungary has said it will not be the last country to agree to join, although it is unclear when the Hungarian parliament plans to vote on it.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Tuesday that he had sent a letter to his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson inviting him to Budapest to discuss Sweden's entry into NATO.
NATO requires unanimous consent from all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary were the only countries to hold out, frustrating other NATO allies who had pushed for Sweden and Finland to join quickly.