Turkey’s parliament accepted Sweden’s NATO membership on Tuesday, ending more than a year of delays that hampered Western efforts to demonstrate commitment in the face of Russia’s conflict on Ukraine.
After receiving public support from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, lawmakers voted 287-55 in favor of the Nordic nation’s bid to join the alliance as the 32nd member.
In the next days, the Turkish leader is anticipated to sign Sweden’s ratification document, bringing Ankara’s role in the long-running story to an end.
Turkey’s approval leaves Hungary as the final holdout in an accession process that Sweden and Finland initiated in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
After finding fault with Sweden and approving Finland after a few rounds of negotiations, Ankara forced the northern neighbours to separate their applications.
Finland’s entry in NATO in April extended the length of the alliance’s border with Russia and strengthened the defenses of three tiny Baltic nations that joined the union following the demise of the former Soviet Union.
During the Cold War, Sweden and Finland maintained a policy of military non-alignment with the Soviet Union and the West.
However, the Ukraine crisis upended geopolitical calculations, forcing the two to seek nuclear protection from the world’s most powerful defense alliance.
Hungary has followed Turkey’s lead throughout the NATO membership process and is poised to ratify Sweden’s without much difficulty.
On Tuesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited his Swedish counterpart to Budapest to discuss the offer.
However, on Tuesday, there were signals of tensions between Stockholm and Budapest.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom stated that there was “no reason” to speak with Hungary on Stockholm’s NATO candidacy “at this point”.
Demand for US jets
Throughout the Ukraine conflict, Orban and Erdogan maintained positive relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
NATO chiefs were concerned that the Kremlin was using the two volatile leaders, both frequent visitors to Moscow, to sow divides in the West.
The bloc’s commanders have portrayed the new phase of enlargement as a demonstration of Western determination in the face of Russian aggression.
Erdogan’s first objections to Sweden’s proposal centered on Stockholm’s perceived acceptance of Kurdish parties that Ankara considers “terrorist.”
Sweden responded by tightening its anti-terrorism legislation and implementing other security measures requested by Erdogan.
But Erdogan then shifted his attention to an unfulfilled US agreement to provide a batch of F-16 fighter fighters, which has sparked opposition in Congress due to Turkey’s perceived human rights violations and standoffs with neighboring NATO member Greece.
Turkey also wants Canada to follow through on its pledge to ease a ban on the supply of a critical component needed in combat drone manufacturing.
During two travels to Turkey in the last three months, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the Swedish candidacy’s acceptance might assist overcome congressional opposition to the F-16 sale.
“We have not parsed words about how ready we are for Sweden to formally join the alliance,” deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said after news emerged Monday that Turkey was on the verge of finally voting on Sweden’s candidacy.
Cengiz Candar, a Turkish opposition legislator, claimed during Tuesday’s ratification debate that Turkey’s leaders “blackmailed” their Western allies during the lengthy negotiation process.
“Turkey violated three pillars of foreign policy: predictability, credibility and consistency,” he said before voting for the bid.