The decision has now been officially taken in Türkiye. It remains questionable what motivated Erdogan to agree.
Turkey finally ratified Sweden's membership in NATO. The decision was published in the Official Gazette this Thursday and, therefore, is official. In the next step, according to the admission rules, Turkey must inform the US State Department of its acceptance. However, Sweden still lacks Hungary's consent to become a member of NATO.
After more than a year and a half of political tug-of-war, the Turkish parliament on Tuesday approved Sweden's inclusion in the alliance. In Ankara, 287 deputies voted in favor, 55 against and 4 abstained.
Following Turkey's approval, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban promised to press ahead with his country's long-delayed ratification. He will urge Parliament to vote on the matter as soon as possible. However, it is not yet clear when a vote on this might take place.
In light of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022. Finland was welcomed into the alliance as the 31st member in early April last year.
It remains questionable what motivated Erdogan to agree. He recently demanded deliveries of US fighter jets in exchange for ratification. So far, however, approval from the US Congress is still lacking. (APA/dpa)