2023-12-26 22:23:17
Istanbul (agencies)
Yesterday, a Turkish parliamentary committee approved Sweden’s request to join NATO, thus removing a new obstacle in the way of the Scandinavian country’s efforts to join the Western military alliance in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis.
Sweden’s efforts to join NATO were stalled in light of the opposition of Turkey and Hungary, and became more complicated after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan linked it to Ankara’s request for F-16 fighter jets from its ally, Washington.
Sweden and Finland abandoned decades of military neutrality by seeking to join the US-led defense organization after the Ukraine crisis in February 2022.
Their request received quick approval from all NATO members, with the exception of Türkiye and Hungary.
Ultimately, the two countries accepted Finland to join the alliance, becoming the 31st member in April.
Turkey and Hungary are still the only two countries in NATO that have not ratified Sweden’s application to join the alliance, 19 months after it was submitted.
Yesterday, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Parliament approved the measure.
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