Sweden edges closer to joining NATO after Turkiye vote

The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs commission approved Sweden’s NATO membership bid on Tuesday in a key step towards enlarging the Western bloc after 19 months of delays in which Ankara demanded security-related concessions from Stockholm, Reuters has reported.

The commission is controlled by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party. It voted to back the bid — which Sweden made last year in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — after four hours of debate, including talks on other matters. It had postponed a vote on the bid after an earlier debate on 16 November.

The next step is a vote in the parliament general assembly, where Erdogan’s party also holds a majority. It is expected to pass that stage within weeks. Erdogan would then sign it into law, concluding a process that has frustrated some of Ankara’s allies and tested its Western ties.

Commission head Fuat Oktay played down expectations for a speedy vote in the general assembly, telling reporters in parliament that the parliamentary speaker would decide on timing. “The decision to submit it to the general assembly has been made now, but this should not be interpreted as [a sign] that it will pass the general assembly with the same speed,” explained Oktay. The parliament is set for a two-week recess in early January.

Erdogan’s AK Party, its nationalist MHP allies and the main opposition CHP voted in favour of ratification, while the small Islamist Felicity Party and nationalist Iyi (Good) Party voted against it.

READ: Turkiye, US hold high-level defence group meeting

In a statement following the commission’s approval, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said that the move was welcomed, and Sweden looks forward to joining NATO. Boris Ruge, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, said on X that the commission’s approval was “excellent news”.

Oguz Kaan Salici, a lawmaker from the CHP and member of the commission, told Reuters that his party had asked for an explanation on what had changed since the 16 November commission meeting. He added that he expected all parties to take a similar stance in the general assembly.

“We questioned what changed from the last meeting to this meeting,” said Salici. “As the main opposition party, we asked for this to be explained to us. They briefed us on the steps Sweden has taken and Turkiye’s foreign policy priorities, and referred openly to the talks between President Erdogan and [US President Joe] Biden.”

Erdogan raised objections in May last year to requests from both Sweden and Finland to join the alliance over what he said was their protection of those whom Turkiye deems to be terrorists, and over their defence trade embargoes. Turkiye ratified Finland’s bid earlier this year, but kept Sweden waiting until it took more steps to crack down on local members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which the EU and US also list as a terrorist group.

In response, Stockholm introduced a new anti-terrorism bill that makes being a member of a terrorist organisation illegal, saying that it had upheld its part of a deal signed last year. Sweden and NATO members Finland, Canada and the Netherlands also took steps to relax policies on arms exports to Turkiye.

While NATO member Hungary has not ratified Sweden’s membership, Turkiye is seen as the main obstacle to adding the Scandinavian nation to the military alliance and bolstering its defences in the Baltic Sea region.

Erdogan sent Sweden’s bid to parliament in October, but has also linked its ultimate ratification with US approval of sales of F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye. After a call with Biden this month, he said that Washington was eyeing the ratification to move on the request.

The White House backs the sale, although there is no clear timeframe for the US Congress to approve it. Turkiye faces some congressional opposition over delaying NATO enlargement and over its human rights record.

Moreover, Turkiye’s tough diplomacy over the past 18 months has irked some NATO members given the war in Ukraine. Unlike its allies, Ankara maintains good relations with Moscow as well as Kyiv, opposing Russia’s invasion but also the Western sanctions on Russia.

READ: Turkish President Erdogan pledges ongoing support for oppressed, especially in Gaza