Türkiye may postpone vote on Sweden's accession to NATO until mid-January
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (photo: Getty Images)
The Turkish parliament is likely to postpone voting on Sweden's NATO accession protocol until at least mid-January, reports BNN.
It is noted that the protocol on Sweden's accession to NATO, approved by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Parliament, must pass the 600-seat parliament, which is dominated by the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, before becoming law.
It has been argued that despite the possibility of calling a special session, it is more likely that the vote will be postponed until the parliament returns on January 15.
Background
On December 26, the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee finally approved Sweden's application to join NATO. The final word is up to the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Parliament).
As a reminder, Sweden applied for NATO membership last year. For the country to become part of the Alliance, its application must be ratified by all member states. To date, all allies have approved the Scandinavian state's membership, except for Türkiye and Hungary.
In response to Türkiye's demands, Sweden has tightened its anti-terrorism laws. A few weeks ago, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said that Türkiye would approve the application "in the coming weeks."
U.S. President Joe Biden also discussed this issue with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
