Sweden facilitates arms procurement licenses to Turkish companies

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Dec 2023 16:21
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Restarting the process of ratifying Sweden's NATO membership, Ankara has earned itself a path back into Sweden's arms market.

Sweden's Archer Artillery System of the Boden Artillery Regiment A8 is seen during the Aurora 23 military exercise at the Rinkaby firing range outside Kristianstad, Sweden, on May 06, 2023. (AFP)

Sweden has facilitated requests made by Turkish companies for the procurement of Swedish weapons, just after a committee in the Turkish parliament approved Sweden's NATO membership bid, Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reported on Wednesday.

Citing Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar, the newspaper said that multiple applications submitted by Turkish arms companies were accepted.

"After the start of the process [of the approval of Sweden's accession to NATO], the applications submitted by Turkish companies were positively completed," the Turkish newspaper quoted Akcapar as saying.

It is worth noting that Sweden lifted an arms embargo it had imposed on Turkey in late August 2022, showing goodwill, while the two NATO states negotiated Stockholm's accession, according to Euronews. However, no procurement permits have been issued to Turkish companies since.

Home to Saab AB, a defense company, Sweden produces a wide array of weapons and systems, including multirole fighter jets, man-portable recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missile systems, and top-of-the-line self-propelled howitzers.

Turkey to ratify Sweden's bid

The facilitation of the application process comes just a day after the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee approved Sweden's NATO membership bid.

Sweden's accession into NATO still hinges on a Turkish parliamentary vote and approval from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Hungary's own bureaucratic processes, after all other member states of NATO had approved Stockholm's bid.

Fuat Oktay, the head of the commission, told reporters that the parliament's speaker would decide the timing of the vote holding back Sweden's NATO membership. On the other hand, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said that his country welcomed the decision, adding that he was "looking forward to joining NATO," in a post on X.

Moreover, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Turkey and Hungary to "complete their ratifications as soon as possible," adding that "Sweden's membership will make NATO stronger."

In July, Erdogan lifted his objections to Sweden's NATO membership after Stockholm implemented measures against Kurdish groups labeled as 'terrorists' by Ankara. This decision came after months of negotiations. NATO allies, with a particular emphasis from France, underscored Turkey's cooperation as crucial, emphasizing that the credibility of the alliance is "at stake."

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