Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked the country\u2019s parliament to ratify Sweden\u2019s application to join NATO, a crucial step in the Nordic nation\u2019s bid to become a member of the military alliance after almost a year and a half of delays.<\/p>\n
Sweden\u2019s inclusion in NATO, which would realign the security dynamic in Europe following Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, will be debated by the Turkish parliament\u2019s foreign-relations committee before a final vote at the assembly, where Erdogan\u2019s ruling AK party and its allies hold a majority of the seats. <\/p>\n
Erdogan\u2019s decision represents a major breakthrough for NATO\u2019s push to strengthen its defenses after Russia\u2019s incursion, having already admitted Finland in a similar process. Turkey was one of the last hold-outs preventing Sweden\u2019s membership along with Hungary, accusing the government in Stockholm of failing to do enough to crack down on supporters of separatist Kurdish militants that Turkey regards as terrorists.<\/p>\n
Bringing Sweden into the NATO fold would add a technologically sophisticated military that has participated in the alliance\u2019s exercises for decades. The Nordic country has a large defense industry stemming from its Cold War policy of being self-sufficient for its military needs, and is one of the world\u2019s largest arms exporters per capita and the smallest nation that has developed modern fighter jets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to a speedy vote to ratify,\u201d NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. \u201cThis will make the whole alliance stronger and more secure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding the biggest Nordic nation to NATO means eight of the nine countries that border the Baltic Sea will be in the bloc \u2014 with just Russia outside. Sweden\u2019s inclusion improves supply routes to neighboring Finland, which guards a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia, and helps defend Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.<\/p>\n
Turkey\u2019s benchmark Borsa Istanbul 100 Index extended its gain to as much as 3.8% after Erdogan\u2019s move, which was hailed by Sweden\u2019s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson as \u201cgratifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow what is left is for the parliament to process the issue,\u201d Kristersson said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. \u201cWe look forward to becoming members of NATO.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recent anti-Turkish demonstrations in Sweden and public burnings of the Koran had hampered the process. Erdogan has also linked the membership issue to Turkey\u2019s negotiations with the U.S. to purchase F-16 fighter jets.<\/p>\n
Still, there\u2019s no guarantee Turkey\u2019s parliament will move quickly unless ordered by Erdogan. Lawmakers of the AK Party and nationalist ally MHP are sensitive to any sign of tolerance by Stockholm toward supporters of Kurdish militants and protests they deem disrespectful and could well drag their feet before taking a vote on the floor.<\/p>\n
Stockholm has criticized burnings of the Koran, yet the country\u2019s courts have overturned police decisions to deny permits to demonstrations involving the desecration of the book, ruling that freedom of speech must be prioritized unless there is an immediate threat to public safety.<\/p>\n
Sweden has pledged to cooperate more closely with Turkey to prevent the activities of the Kurdish PKK group, which is designated a terrorist organization by the European Union. Since submitting its NATO bid, the Nordic country has also introduced new, stricter laws on terrorism, and approved arms sales to Turkey.<\/p>\n
As for the F-16 war planes, U.S. officials have said the ratification of Sweden\u2019s application to NATO is a prerequisite for allowing a deal to go through.<\/p>\n
Hungary\u2019s approval of Sweden would still be needed, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban previously demanding \u201crespect\u201d from Sweden before his country ratifies its application, citing criticism over the erosion of the rule of law in Budapest. That said, Hungary\u2019s parliament approved the Finnish bid swiftly after the Turkish president\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n
—–<\/p>\n
(With assistance from Natalia Drozdiak and Kati Pohjanpalo.)<\/p>\n
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