Today we discuss important news: Sweden closer to joining NATO thanks to the vote of the Turkish parliament. After months of delay, Sweden is finally moving closer to joining the military alliance.
On Tuesday, the Turkish parliament voted in favor of Sweden’s application for NATO membership. Of the 346 members of parliament who voted, 287 voted in favor of membership, while 55 voted against. Four others abstained.
The vote was the second step in Turkey’s ratification process, following approval by the Foreign Affairs Committee last month. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can now sign the protocol to formalize this accession.
This major step forward for Sweden in its journey towards NATO membership now leaves Hungary as the only member state that has not yet ratified membership. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban affirmed his support for Sweden’s candidacy during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Sweden’s NATO membership process began in May 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland already joined the organization in April 2023, which doubled NATO’s border with Russia. However, Sweden has encountered several obstacles and delays in its membership application.
Initially, Recep Tayyip Erdogan opposed Sweden’s candidacy, accusing Swedish officials of showing too much leniency towards militant groups, notably the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Since submitting its candidacy, Sweden has strengthened its anti-terrorism legislation and agreed to cooperate more closely with Turkey on security matters.
However, Erdogan’s approval for Sweden’s membership also depends on US approval, with the Turkish president saying he would not sign the protocol until the US approves the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin announced Tuesday that Congress is waiting for membership documents to be finalized before making a decision on the issue.
Following the Turkish parliament’s vote on Tuesday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sweden was “one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO.” The US Ambassador to Turkey, Jeffry Flake, also expressed his support, saying that “Sweden’s membership in NATO is a crucial step in strengthening the alliance.”
The German government also welcomed the result of the Turkish parliamentary vote, stressing that Finland’s accession last April and Sweden’s imminent accession were a “direct reaction to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
As this story develops, we will see how Sweden continues to progress in its NATO membership process, thereby strengthening the alliance and its own security.