Sweden's NATO membership bid not a priority for Ankara: Source
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The approval date for Sweden's NATO membership bid at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey is yet to be determined, and there is no anticipated urgency from Ankara to expedite this process.
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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives at Bellevue Palace during his visit in Berlin, Germany, Friday, November 17, 2023. (AP)
As of Tuesday, the specific date for the approval of Sweden's NATO membership bid at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey remains undetermined, and there is no urgency expected from Ankara in expediting this process, according to a source within the Turkish legislative body.
The previous week saw the endorsement of Sweden's NATO membership bid by the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission, with the subsequent submission of the document to the Grand Assembly. Responding to the inquiry about a date for the ratification, the source stated, "No, it has not been defined."
“We have nowhere to rush. There are interconnected processes, we will monitor them. There is no pressure on us on any time frames and there can not be,” the source said.
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This comes after Turkish newspaper Hurriyet stated on December 22, citing a source in the White House, that the US is expecting Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO accession before considering steps regarding the F-16 jet deal with Ankara.
The report noted that the US Department of State may officially notify Congress of the progress on the same day when Turkey ratifies Sweden's accession to NATO, but Congress will have 30 days to block the process of the F-16 purchase.
Turkey approves Sweden's NATO bid
Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that any potential progress made by the United States on the F-16 deal with Ankara would be reflected in the Turkish parliament's consideration of Sweden's NATO accession protocol.
Along with Finland, Sweden submitted its NATO application in May 2022, months after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. That said, Finland was approved as a member of the NATO alliance in April 2023, while Sweden's application is still pending ratification by both Turkey and Hungary.
Read next: Turkey tells NATO Sweden will not be member by next meeting
The ratification bid in Turkey was launched in late October after Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus signed a bill for the NATO bid and submitted it to a parliamentary commission for review.
