Turkiye parliament to decide on Sweden NATO bid 'soon'

Turkish lawmakers will decide on Sweden’s NATO accession protocol as soon as possible, Turkiye’s parliament speaker said yesterday.

Numan Kurtulmus told Anadolu that they will send the accession protocol to the Foreign Affairs Commission when he gets back to Turkiye from the Czech capital Prague.

“I hope that it will come to the General Assembly … as soon as possible and our deputies will make their decisions,” he said after attending the Second Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform in Prague.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the accession protocol and sent it to parliament on Monday. Sweden welcomed the move. Commenting on news of Erdogan’s decision, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “Following the submission of the ratification documents, I now count on a speedy ratification by the Turkish parliament.” “Sweden has amended its constitution, changed its laws, expanded counter-terrorism cooperation, and resumed arms exports to Turkiye,” he said, in accordance with the deal agreed in July.

READ: NATO’s Stoltenberg says Turkiye agrees to move ahead with Sweden’s NATO bid

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched a war in Ukraine in February 2022.

Turkiye approved Finland’s membership but said it was waiting for Sweden to abide by a trilateral memorandum signed in June 2022 to address Ankara’s security concerns.

Turkish officials have repeatedly stressed that it is up to Turkish lawmakers to decide to ratify Sweden’s accession or not.

All members of NATO must approve any new members joining the alliance.