Turkish parliamentary committee postpones vote on Sweden's NATO membership bid

In a fresh snag to the Nordic country’s hopes of joining the Western military alliance, Turkey’s parliament adjourned the proceedings on ratifying Sweden’s accession to NATO until a later date without reaching a decision.

The meeting was adjourned after legislators from Erdogan’s ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement because some issues needed clarification and that negotiations with Sweden had not “matured” enough.

Committee chairman Fuat Oktay later told reporters that the Swedish ambassador may be invited to the next session to provide further information on steps his country has taken to address Turkey’s security concerns.

Chairman Fuat Oktay said the commission, which is controlled by President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, will hold further talks and may bring the bill back on its agenda next week – but he did not set a clear timeline.

“For all of our lawmakers to approve Sweden’s NATO membership, they need to be fully convinced. We will discuss all of these in our (next) commission meeting (on the issue),” Oktay told reporters after hours of debate.

The commission can pass bills by a simple majority. It may invite the Swedish ambassador to brief lawmakers if needed and if parliament’s regulations allow, Oktay added.

Erdogan said this month he would try to facilitate the ratification process, but added Sweden had not taken enough action on Kurdish militants.

For ratification, the bill needs to be approved by the commission before being put to a full parliament vote, which could come days or weeks later. Erdogan would then sign it into law to conclude the process, the length of which has frustrated Ankara’s allies and tested its Western ties.

Sweden and Finland requested to join NATO in May last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Erdogan raised objections at the time to both requests over what he said was the Nordic nations’ protection of those Turkey deems terrorists, as well as their defence trade embargoes. Turkey endorsed Finland’s bid in April but has kept Sweden waiting.

Turkey has demanded that Sweden take more steps to rein in local members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered a terrorist group by the European Union and United States.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO’s security umbrella, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATO’s 31st member after Turkey’s Parliament ratified the Nordic country’s bid.

Turkey’s agreement on Sweden’s membership has also been linked to Ankara’s efforts to acquire new F-16 fighter planes from the United States and to upgrade its existing fighter fleet. However, both U.S. and Turkish officials have insisted that any such deal would not be tied to Sweden’s NATO membership.

With inputs from agencies.