Turkey to vote on Sweden's NATO accession on Tuesday
3 Min Read
The vote will leave Hungary as the last NATO member standing in the way of Sweden's membership.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to pose for photos with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO summit at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021 (AP )
Turkey's parliament is set to vote on Sweden's NATO accession this Tuesday, a moment that will mark the end of a prolonged delay that strained Ankara's ties with its Western allies.
The ratification process, underway for over a year, faced challenges from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who reportedly withdrew his objections.
Sweden and Finland began the NATO accession process in response to Russia's involvement in the war in Ukraine almost two years ago. Finland joined the US-led alliance in April last year, doubling NATO's border with Russia.
The vote will leave Hungary as the last NATO member standing in the way of Sweden's membership.
Read more: NATO may deploy troops in Sweden before country joins alliance
Erdogan had previously expressed reservations about Sweden's NATO membership, owing to several issues, including the hosting of Kurdish militants that Ankara considers as terrorists and the controversial burning of the Quran. However, he withdrew his personal opposition after Sweden took actions against Kurdish groups.
In the previous month, Turkey's parliamentary foreign affairs committee granted approval for Sweden's NATO application. However, despite this favorable development, Erdogan introduced fresh demands, including urging the US to fulfill its commitment to supply F-16 fighter jets for Turkey's aging air force.
During a recent phone call between Erdogan and US President Joe Biden, the latter proposed that congressional approval for Turkey's F-16 request could be contingent on a seamless progression of Sweden's NATO accession. The impending vote is expected to significantly impact the course of Turkey's relations with both Sweden and NATO.
Read more: US expecting Turkey to pass Sweden NATO bid before F-16 purchase
Earlier this month, a source within the Turkish legislative body informed reporters that there is no urgency expected from Ankara in expediting the process of approving Sweden's NATO membership bid.
The previous month 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.
