Turkish parliament approves Sweden's accession to NATO

Turkish parliament has approved bill regarding Sweden's accession protocol to NATO.

At the parliament's voting on Tuesday, the proposal was enacted into law with the approval of 287 out of 346 participating members, receiving 55 votes against and four abstentions.

After Türkiye's ratification, Hungary became the only member of NATO that has not yet approved Sweden's bid to join the alliance.

In October 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed Sweden's NATO accession protocol and submitted it to parliament.

Finland and Sweden – both Nordic countries close to or bordering Russia – applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022.

Türkiye approved Finland's membership in the alliance in March 2023 but said it was waiting for Sweden to abide by a June 2022 trilateral memorandum to address Ankara's security concerns.

Any new members of NATO must be approved by all current members, including Türkiye, a member of the alliance for over 70 years which boasts its second-largest army.

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Source: TRT