Turkish Parliament Committee approves Sweden's NATO membership bid
Illustrative photo (Photo: Getty Images)
The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Parliament today, December 26, approved Sweden's application to join NATO, reports TRT Haber.
It is noted that the protocol on Sweden's membership in NATO was first included in the agenda of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on November 16. However, negotiations failed to conclude, and information about commitments was requested from the Swedish government.
The Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs convened again at 15:00 local time in Sweden. The committee's chairman, Fuat Oktay, stated that Sweden had taken steps, especially regarding terrorism financing. However, he mentioned, "We have not yet seen the expected results in the fight against terrorism."
After parliamentarians expressed their opinions, the protocol on Sweden's accession to NATO was adopted. The final decision remains with the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (parliament).
Sweden's NATO membership
Sweden applied for NATO membership last year. For the country to become 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.
A few weeks ago, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Türkiye would approve the country's application in the coming weeks. President Joe Biden of the United States also discussed this matter with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
