Sweden moves closer to NATO membership after Turkish parliamentary committee approves its bid to join military alliance

The Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee approved Sweden’s NATO membership bid on Tuesday, signalling a significant step toward the Nordic country’s potential inclusion in the Western military alliance.

The final stage of the legislative process in Turkey involves the approval of Sweden’s accession protocol in the general assembly, with no set date for this process.

Turkey, as a NATO member, had previously delayed ratifying Sweden’s application for over a year, citing concerns that Sweden was too lenient toward groups Ankara considers security threats, including Kurdish militants and individuals associated with a network Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month linked ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership to the U.S. Congress’ approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize Turkey’s existing fleet. Erdogan also also called on Canada and other NATO allies to life arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.

With inputs from AP.