Stoltenberg congratulates Türkiye's approval of Sweden's NATO membership
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General (photo: Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the approval on Tuesday, December 26, by the Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee of Sweden's application to join the North Atlantic Alliance, reports AFP.
Stoltenberg's response comes after the key Turkish parliamentary committee gave the green light to Stockholm's application, marking the end of Türkiye's months-long hesitation in the process of Sweden's accession to the Alliance.
"I welcome the vote by the Turkish parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee to ratify Sweden's NATO membership," Stoltenberg stated.
He also urged Türkiye and Hungary to complete the ratification as soon as possible.
What proceeded this
Earlier on Tuesday, Turkish media reported that the Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee had finally approved Sweden's application to join NATO. After parliamentarians expressed their opinions, the protocol for Sweden's accession to NATO was adopted. The final decision rests with the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (parliament).
Sweden submitted its application to join NATO last year. For the country to become a part of the Alliance, its application must be ratified by all member countries. As of today, Sweden's membership has been approved by all allies except Türkiye and Hungary.
Just a few weeks ago, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Türkiye would approve the country's application in the coming weeks.
Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden discussed this matter with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
