Sweden’s NATO membership also lacks Hungary’s ratification. Niinistö commented on the decision about Italy.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says that he has submitted Sweden’s NATO application for ratification by the parliament. The Turkish presidential office did not provide any further information on the matter.
It is not yet clear when the parliament will discuss the ratification.
President Erdoğan has been delaying the progress of Sweden’s NATO application since spring 2022. Turkey has justified this by claiming, among other things, that Sweden acts as a safe haven for Kurdish militants who threaten Turkey’s security.
Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson has commented on Turkey’s announcement on the social media service X.
Kristersson says that Sweden is “looking forward to NATO membership”.
Sweden may become a member of NATO in November – Niinistö welcomed the news
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström estimates that Sweden will join NATO at the end of November.
– Stoltenberg announced a few days ago that he expects Sweden to be a NATO member before the foreign ministers’ meeting at the end of November, this is the schedule, the foreign minister says.
President Sauli Niinistö briefly commented on Sweden’s NATO membership progress for .
– This was welcome and expected news from Turkey. Won’t Hungary be in a hurry too, Niinistö said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commented on the Turkish president’s decision.
– I expect that the ratification will be voted on quickly and that Sweden can be welcomed as a full member of NATO very soon. As I told President Erdoğan over the weekend, this will make the entire alliance stronger and safer.
The United States also welcomed Turkey’s decision.
– We look forward to the bill being discussed in the Turkish parliament and to be approved as soon as possible, said a spokesperson for the US State Department Matthew Miller.
Finland’s ratification progressed quickly
Sweden submitted its NATO application at the same time as Finland in May 2022. The Turkish president announced that he would take Finland’s NATO membership to parliament for ratification on March 17, when the president Sauli Niinistö visited Ankara. Two weeks passed after the announcement, when Turkey had ratified Finland’s NATO membership.
Swedish Turkey expert Paul Levin told Swedish broadcaster SVT that it is still too early to say how the Turkish parliament will vote on Sweden’s NATO membership. Levin heads Stockholm University’s Institute of Turkish Studies.
– This was a big step, but not the last. It’s not worth licking until it drops, Levin said.
According to Levin, a lot depends on whether Turkish President Erdoğan puts pressure on the parliament or not.