Defense alliance
Sweden’s accession to NATO is getting closer – Erdoğan submits the proposal to the Turkish parliament
Flags of the member states in front of the NATO headquarters in Brussels (archive image)
© Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva / DPA
Sweden could soon become the 32nd member state of NATO. After long resistance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presents the Scandinavian country’s application for membership to the parliament in Ankara.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan submitted the request to parliament Sweden’s accession to NATO submitted for ratification. Erdoğan signed the accession protocol and forwarded it to the Grand National Assembly, the presidential office announced on Monday. Approval is considered likely – Erdogan’s Islamic-conservative AKP alliance has a majority in parliament.
Sweden’s accession to NATO is getting closer
Turkey had blocked Sweden’s accession to NATO for months. Ankara had repeatedly justified its blockade with what it saw as Sweden’s inadequate commitment against “terrorist organizations”. Ankara is primarily concerned with the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK and the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG.
military alliance
From the Cold War to the Russian invasion of Ukraine: the NATO chronicle
In view of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022. Finland was welcomed into the alliance as the 31st member in early April.