Parliament of Turkey supports Sweden’s NATO membership

Turkish lawmakers have approved Sweden’s request to join Nato in a vote that was delayed for a long time. This is a major step for Sweden in becoming a member of the organization.

Sweden asked to join in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, but Turkey didn’t agree because they thought Sweden supported Kurdish separatists.

Turkish President Erdogan will probably approve the law in a few days.

Hungary is the only NATO member that hasn’t approved Sweden joining.

Swedish leader Ulf Kristersson said on social media that Sweden is getting closer to joining Nato.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was happy that Turkey voted in favor. He hopes that Hungary will also approve it soon.

Hungary says Sweden is being unfriendly. In March, a Hungarian government spokesperson named Zoltán Kovács said that officials in Sweden think they are better than others, but their reputation is not as strong as they think. Stockholm said Hungary is not following the EU’s rules about democracy.

But, there have been some improvements. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban asked the Swedish Prime Minister to come to Budapest for a visit and talk about how they can build more trust between their countries.

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said he doesn’t think there is a need to talk to Hungary right now, but they can still have a conversation and talk about things in the future.

Turkey stopped Sweden from joining until July, when they finally agreed. On Tuesday evening, politicians voted 287-55 in favor of Sweden being a member. President Erdogan is likely to approve the new law.

Turkey said that Sweden was providing shelter to Kurdish fighters, and they should work harder to stop rebel groups like the PKK, which Turkey sees as a terrorist organization. The EU and US both say the PKK is a terrorist group.

Turkey, as a member of Nato, can stop other countries from becoming members.

Sweden made stricter laws in June to stop terrorism. It’s now against the law to help terrorist groups with money or support.

Sweden and Finland, who were neutral, said they want to join Nato in May 2022. This was after Russia invaded Ukraine. Finland officially joined the alliance in April, making the alliance’s border with Russia twice as long.