Jens Stoltenberg welcomes the Turkish parliament’s vote on Sweden’s NATO membership

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg “welcomed” this Tuesday’s vote by the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee in favor of Sweden joining the Atlantic Alliance, a move that paves the way for the country’s formal green light.

Turkey was the last member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), along with Hungary, to delay Sweden’s entry.

“I’m telling you that [os dois Estados] Complete the process of ratifying Sweden’s membership as quickly as possible, “which will make NATO stronger,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.

Turkey’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee on Tuesday approved Sweden’s request for NATO membership, with the accession protocol now set to be approved by a plenary session of parliament at a yet-to-be-determined final stage. legislative process in Turkey.

Turkey is the latest member of the Atlantic Alliance, along with Hungary, to block Sweden’s entry into NATO through successive demands.

Sweden applied for membership at the same time as Finland, which was accepted in April, following the outbreak of the Russian war in Ukraine in February 2022.

NATO member Turkey has delayed ratifying Sweden’s membership bid for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups Ankara considers a threat to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network Ankara blames for the failed coup. in 2016.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan linked the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership to the US Congress’ approval of Turkey’s request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and “kits” to modernize NATO’s existing fleet. Türkiye.

Erdogan also called on Canada and other NATO allies to lift the arms embargo imposed on Turkey.