Turkish Parliament Supports Sweden's NATO Membership

In a much-awaited vote, the Turkish parliament has approved Sweden's request to join NATO with a strong majority. Sweden applied for membership in 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The approval was delayed due to disagreements between Turkey and Sweden over the latter's alleged support for Kurdish separatists. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now expected to sign the legislation, bringing Sweden one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed his satisfaction on social media, stating that they are now closer to achieving their goal of NATO membership. Hungary, however, remains the only NATO nation that has not ratified Sweden's bid. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited his Swedish counterpart to Budapest for discussions, but Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom has declined the offer for now. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hailed Turkey's vote and called on Hungary to complete its national ratification promptly. Turkey had been blocking Sweden's application until July when a resolution was reached. The parliamentary vote in favor of Swedish membership was 287-55. Turkey had raised concerns that Sweden was harboring Kurdish militants and demanded stricter action against rebel groups like the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it considers a terrorist organization. The PKK is also categorized as a terrorist group by the EU and the US. Turkey, as a member of NATO, holds the power to veto new nations from joining the alliance, and it exercised this right until the recent agreement was reached. Notably, Sweden introduced tougher anti-terrorism legislation in June, criminalizing any support, financial or logistical, to terrorist organizations. Sweden and its neighboring country, Finland, both traditionally neutral in terms of military alliances, expressed their intention to join NATO in May 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland officially became a member of NATO in April, effectively doubling the alliance's border with Russia.