The Turkish parliament approved Sweden's bid for NATO membership today after more than four hours of debate, removing the last major obstacle to the expansion of the Western military alliance after 20 months of delay, Reuters reports.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, its nationalist allies the MHP and the main opposition CHP voted for Sweden's bid, while opposition nationalist, Islamist and left-wing parties voted against.
Erdogan will sign the law, likely in the coming days, ending a lengthy process that has frustrated some of Ankara's Western allies and allowed it to extract concessions, according to Reuters.
Hungary remains the only NATO member that has yet ratified Stockholm's accession.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson announced that Sweden has taken a step closer to full membership in NATO, reports Reuters.
"Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO. It is positive that the Grand General Assembly of Turkey voted for Sweden's accession to NATO," Kristerson wrote on social network X, formerly Twitter.
Turkey, a NATO member, has delayed ratifying Sweden's accession for more than a year, accusing it of being too lenient toward groups Ankara considers security threats.
It has sought concessions from Sweden, including a tougher stance on Kurdish activists and members of a network Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.
Ankara has also been displeased by a series of demonstrations in Sweden by supporters of Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, as well as Koran-burning protests that have upset Muslim countries.
Sweden has promised deeper cooperation with Turkey in the fight against terrorism and will support Turkey's ambition to revive its bid for EU membership.
Erdoğan also linked the ratification of Sweden's NATO membership to the US Congress's approval of Turkey's request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize Turkey's existing fleet.
He also called on Canada and other NATO allies to lift the arms embargo on Turkey.
Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional position of military non-alignment, seeking protection under NATO's security umbrella, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATO's 31st member, after the Turkish parliament ratified the bid. and the Nordic countries.
Hungary is also delaying approval of Sweden's bid, saying Swedish politicians have told "blatant lies" about the state of Hungarian democracy. Hungary has said it will not be the last to approve Sweden's accession, although it is not known when the Hungarian parliament intends to vote on it.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Tuesday that he had sent a letter to his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristerson, inviting him to Budapest to discuss Sweden's entry into NATO.
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