Turkey expects to ratify Sweden accession to NATO ‘within weeks’

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom announced on Wednesday that he received assurances from his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, that Turkey will approve Sweden's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) "within weeks."

The protocol for Sweden's accession to NATO has been pending since May 2022, requiring the unanimous agreement of the 31 alliance members.

Turkey and Hungary are the last two members hindering the accession, following Finland's approval in March.

Despite Tobias Billstrom revealing the timeframe announced by his Turkish counterpart, he expressed caution on the matter. 

During a press briefing before a ministerial meeting in Brussels, he stated, "Of course, we do not consider anything as guaranteed." 

He also clarified that he met with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, who assured him that Hungary would not be "the last country" to approve the accession.

The Turkish Parliament began studying the protocol for Sweden's NATO accession in mid-November.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his opposition in July, stating that the final decision rests with the Turkish Parliament. This came after months of pressuring Swedish officials, condemning their leniency towards some Turkish and Kurdish refugees accused of "terrorism" by Ankara.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen expressed "disappointment" on Tuesday, confirming that allied countries had hoped for the accession to be completed during the NATO meeting. 

She expressed hope that the accession process would be completed "before Christmas."

AFP