On Monday, Turkey made a significant announcement, revealing that the country’s President has approved the submission of Sweden’s NATO membership application to the parliament, setting the stage for its review and approval by the representatives.
Sweden has welcomed this decision by Erdogan, seeing it as a sign of the path to the country’s NATO accession opening up.
The Office of the Turkish President stated on Monday through its social media platform X that the formalities for sending the proposal have been completed, and this document is now in the hands of the representatives for voting.
After Russia attacked Ukraine, both Sweden and Finland sought NATO membership. Turkey initially approved only Finland’s accession, contingent on their actions against Kurdish parties in Turkey. The acceptance of new members requires unanimous agreement within the alliance, and Hungary also imposed conditions on the entry of these two countries into NATO.
Previously, the President of Turkey had expressed his opposition to the membership of these two countries, saying, “Finland and Sweden host PKK and YPG semi-militant groups and allow them to raise their flags everywhere. These countries strengthen and support terrorist resources against Turkey, providing them with financial resources and weapons.”
However, after President Erdogan’s recent success in Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections, there has been a noticeable shift in his position regarding Sweden’s NATO membership. In the most recent NATO summit, he publicly announced his approval to submit the proposal for Sweden’s NATO membership for consideration.
This change in stance marks a significant development in Turkey’s foreign policy, signalling a more cooperative approach towards expanding the NATO alliance and fostering international cooperation.
