Erdogan Submits Sweden's NATO Membership Bill to Turkish Parliament

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, submitted the bill for Sweden's NATO membership to the Turkish Parliament on Monday, October 23. This move was welcomed by Stockholm and opened the way for Sweden to join the Western defense alliance. Erdogan had committed to submitting this bill at the NATO summit in July. Previously, he had objected to Sweden for allegedly harboring individuals whom Turkey claims are members of terrorist groups. Turkish officials stated that Stockholm must take more concrete steps to suppress the illegal PKK militants for Ankara to approve the membership proposal. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. Finally, on October 23, Erdogan's office announced on social media platform X that the protocol for Sweden's NATO accession was referred to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey after his signature. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed this action, stating, 'It is now time for the Turkish Parliament to address this request.' NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also expressed eagerness for a 'quick vote' in the Turkish Parliament and welcomed Sweden as a new ally. The Hungarian Parliament must also approve Sweden's NATO membership request. Analysts expect the bill to pass after being presented to the general assembly in Parliament, but it is unclear when Ankara will schedule the vote. Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, along with its nationalist and Islamist partners, holds 322 of the 600 seats in Parliament. The main opposition party, the Republican People's Party, had previously supported Sweden's membership. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland's membership was signed in April, but Sweden's proposal was stalled by Turkey and Hungary. Turkey, which has the second-largest army in NATO, has long sought U.S. congressional approval for a $20 billion sale of F-16 jets and modernization kits. Erdogan has previously linked Sweden's NATO proposal to U.S. support for Sweden's application.