Dec 26, 2023 at 6:53 PM Update: 29 minutes ago
Turkey is one step closer to approving Sweden’s NATO membership. The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee approved Sweden’s accession on Tuesday.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Fuat Oktay, said on Tuesday that he does not expect the Turkish parliament to vote on Sweden’s membership of NATO in the short term. The speaker of parliament determines when the vote will be placed on the agenda.
It is expected that parliament will agree to Sweden’s accession. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party has a majority in parliament. In the foreign affairs committee, Erdogan’s party members voted in favor of joining.
After approval by parliament, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have to sign the law.
Sweden has been waiting for approval for a year and a half
Sweden applied for NATO membership a year and a half ago, but so far Turkey and Hungary have blocked it. Turkey did this because, according to the Turkish government, Sweden must take tougher action against Kurdish militants of the PKK in its own country.
In recent months, Sweden has taken steps to accommodate Turkey, including by tightening anti-terrorism legislation.
In order to join NATO, each member state must approve its accession. In addition to Turkey, Hungary has also not yet given approval.
Hungary has speculated in recent months that it is not the only country that does not want to block Sweden’s membership. But it is not known when Hungary plans to approve the accession.
Beeld: Getty Images
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2023-12-26 17:53:50
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