ANKARA, Turkey: Turkish members parliament (MPs) have approved Sweden’s bid to join NATO in a long-delayed vote in a big step forward on the Nordic nation’s path to membership.
Sweden applied to join the bloc in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey withheld approval amid a row over what it called Sweden’s support to Kurdish separatists. Turkish President Erdogan is expected to sign the legislation within days, BBC News reported.
The development leaves Hungary the sole NATO member yet to endorse Sweden’s accession.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson posted on social media: “Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO”.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Turkey’s decision, saying he was counting on Hungary to “complete its national ratification as soon as possible”.
Hungary accused Sweden of a hostile attitude. In March, Hungarian government spokesman Zoltán Kovács accused officials in Sweden of sitting on “a crumbling throne of moral superiority”. Stockholm has previously accused the Hungarian government of moving away from EU democratic principles.
However, there were signs of progress. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited his Swedish counterpart to Budapest for talks on Tuesday, saying in a letter that “a more intensive dialogue could contribute to strengthening trust”.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said he saw “no reason” to negotiate with Hungary “at this time”, but added that the two nations “can have a dialogue and continue to discuss the issues”.
Turkey blocked Sweden’s request until an agreement was reached in July. On Tuesday evening, MPs voted 287:55 in favour of Sweden’s membership. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now expected to sign the law.
Turkey has argued that Sweden harbors Kurdish militants and needs to do more to crack down on rebel groups such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it considers a terrorist organisation. The EU and the US have also designated the PKK as a terrorist group.
Like any of NATO’s 31 member nations, Turkey has the power to block new countries from joining the group.
But Sweden introduced tougher anti-terror laws in June, making it illegal to provide financial or logistical aid to terrorist groups.
Sweden and its eastern neighbor Finland, both long considered militarily neutral, announced their intention to join NATO in May 2022, months after Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine. Finland formally joined in April, doubling the length of its border alliance with Russia.
