After 17 months of blocking this file, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed Sweden's NATO membership bill and sent it to Parliament for a vote, his office announced, while Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed this "good news".

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EDITED BY| HUXIANA

 

Europe section -  CJ journalist

 

Ankara - October,23,2023 

 

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The Turkish Presidency confirmed in a publication on the "X" platform that "President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed on October 23, 2023 the protocol of Sweden's accession to NATO and submitted it to the Grand National Assembly" (Parliament).

Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed the"good news" on the "X" platform, saying "the issue is now in the hands of the parliament and we look forward to becoming a member of NATO".

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he was "looking forward to welcoming Sweden very soon as a full NATO ally"...) This will make the entire alliance stronger and more secure".

During the NATO summit in Vilnius last July, the Turkish president agreed to submit the ratification of Sweden's accession to his parliament, stressing that there will be no developments in this regard before the House of Representatives convenes in October.

Erdogan, who spoke by phone on Saturday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, has since the summer continued to press Sweden to take measures against acts of desecration of the Koran that have led to a deterioration in relations between the two countries.

At the same time, Ankara criticizes the Swedish authorities for their supposed leniency towards the refugee Kurdish rebels on its territory, dozens of whom it demands to be extradited.

Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have not yet ratified Sweden's membership in the alliance after Stockholm abandoned the non-aligned policy following the Russian war on Ukraine.

Ankara ratified Finland's accession on March 30 and considered its file separate from the Swedish one.