Ankara [Turkey], December 27: The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish parliament accepted Sweden's request to join NATO on December 26, an important development towards expanding the Western military alliance.
The Foreign Affairs Committee, controlled by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 's AK party , voted after about 4 hours of debate on December 26, thereby supporting Sweden 's efforts . The Committee delayed voting on the issue of Stockholm's admission to NATO after a debate on November 16, according to Reuters.
The next step is a vote in the Turkish parliament, where Erdogan's party also has a majority. This vote could be held in a few weeks and it is expected that Stockholm's request will also be approved. Erdogan will then sign it into law, ending a process that has frustrated some of Ankara's allies and tested Turkey's relations with some Western countries.
Foreign Affairs Committee leader Fuat Oktay said that the vote in the Turkish parliament will not take place quickly and that the speaker of the parliament will be the one to decide when it will be held.
"The decision to submit this issue (Sweden's accession to NATO) in parliament has been taken, but this should not be understood as (an indication) that the issue will pass in parliament with the same speed . There is no such thing," Mr. Oktay told reporters. The Turkish Parliament is scheduled to have a two-week recess in early January.
In a statement after the latest developments in Ankara, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Stockholm welcomed this move and looked forward to joining NATO, the US-led military alliance that currently includes 31 members.
Mr. Boris Ruge, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, said on X (Twitter) that the approval by the Turkish Foreign Affairs Committee is "great news".
Sweden and Finland officially registered to join NATO in May 2022 amid concerns arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, thereby abandoning the military neutral stance that the two Nordic countries have maintained for a long time.
Finland became NATO's 31st member in April, but Türkiye, along with Hungary, delayed Sweden's efforts. Ankara accuses Stockholm of failing to take Turkey's security concerns seriously, including the fight against Kurdish forces and other groups Ankara considers a security threat.
Ankara's actions have disappointed NATO allies. The parliaments of these countries quickly approved Sweden and Finland to join the alliance, but admitting new members requires parliamentary approval of all current NATO members.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
