Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invites his Swedish counterpart to visit him and negotiate membership of the bloc.
- Türkiye previously opposed Sweden's membership.
- Measures to strengthen Türkiye's security after Russia invaded Ukraine.
- Hungary is the only Member State that did not approve Sweden's accession.
Turkey's parliament has taken a significant step towards expanding the Western military alliance by ratifying Sweden's bid for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The vote, which was 287 to 55, marks the end of a 20-month struggle by Sweden to gain approval from all NATO members. The move is expected to strengthen Turkey's security following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
This is a significant victory for President Erdogan's ruling alliance and paves the way for Sweden to join the alliance.
However, Turkey had previously opposed Sweden and Finland's membership in 2022 due to their protection of groups it considers terrorists. Turkey subsequently backed Finland's membership in April but, along with Hungary, kept Sweden waiting.
“We support the expansion of NATO to improve the alliance's deterrence efforts… We hope that the attitude of Finland and Sweden towards the fight against terrorism will serve as an example for our other allies,” said Fuat Oktay, head of the commission. of foreign affairs of parliament and member of the ruling AK Party, during the debate.
“I greatly appreciate the Turkish Parliament's decision to approve Sweden's entry into NATO today,” US Ambassador Jeff Flake said in a written statement on Tuesday.
He said Turkey's “commitment to the NATO Alliance clearly demonstrates our long-standing partnership.”
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom also welcomed the Turkish parliament's approval in a written statement: “We now look forward to President Erdogan signing the ratification document.”
Erdogan is expected to sign legislation on Sweden's accession in the coming days, leaving Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban has friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the only member state that did not approve Sweden's accession. Reuters reported.
Orban invited his Swedish counterpart to visit and negotiate membership of the bloc. However, the Hungarian parliament will be in recess until approximately mid-February.
Turkey and Hungary have stronger relations with Russia than other NATO members. However, opposing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Turkey criticized Western sanctions on Moscow.
Russia warns of a possible response to strengthening NATO's military infrastructure in the Nordic states.
Sweden, whose bid for membership marked a historic move away from a non-aligned security policy, would improve NATO's defenses in the Baltic Sea region against Russia.
