The Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has approved Sweden’s NATO membership bid. This action is the first in a series of steps leading to Türkiye’s full approval of the bid. Following the committee’s approval, submission to the General Assembly of the Turkish Parliament is required, which will then be followed by ratification from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Once Erdoğan ratifies the membership, only Hungary’s approval remains for Sweden to be completely accepted into the NATO alliance. In 2022, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, diverging significantly from their historical position of military non-involvement. However, Türkiye held back its approval, demanding stronger measures against terror organizations.
In response to Turkey’s demands, Sweden and Finland issued a memorandum in 2022, agreeing to comply. Thereafter, Finland achieved its NATO membership as the 31st member state in April.
As part of Sweden’s efforts to gain membership, it enacted laws in 2022 aimed at facilitating the prosecution of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an organization accused by Türkiye of participation in a failed coup against President Erdoğan’s government in 2016. President Erdoğan has stipulated that the extradition of 130 supposed Kurdish terrorists from Sweden and Finland is a prerequisite for ratification.
NATO’s principles are grounded in the 1949 Washington Treaty and are intertwined with the UN Charter’s Article 51 that confirms independent states’ right to individual or collective defense. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously stated that although the accession of Sweden and Finland into NATO does not pose a direct threat to Russia, militarization in the region will undoubtedly trigger a Russian response and aggravate regional tension.
Russian media has also linked the approval of Sweden’s NATO bid with the U.S. Congress’s decision to supply F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, a long-standing member of the NATO alliance.