Current:Home > MarketsTurkish parliamentary committee to debate Sweden’s NATO membership bid-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Turkish parliamentary committee to debate Sweden’s NATO membership bid
View Date:2024-12-25 10:51:41
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee was scheduled on Thursday to start debating Sweden’s bid to join NATO, drawing the previously non-aligned country closer to membership in the Western military alliance.
Once green-lighted by the committee, Sweden’s accession protocol will need to be ratified by Parliament’s general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkey.
Turkey has stalled ratifying Sweden’s membership in NATO, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.
Turkey has also been angered by a series of demonstrations by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in Sweden as well as Quran-burning protests that roiled Muslim countries.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his objection to Sweden’s bid during a NATO summit in July and sent the accession protocol to Parliament for ratification last month. Turkey’s reversal of its position came after Stockholm pledged deeper cooperation with Turkey on counterterrorism and to support Turkey’s ambition to revive its EU membership bid. In addition, NATO agreed to establish a special coordinator for counterterrorism.
NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have been holding out. Hungary has stalled Sweden’s bid, alleging that Swedish politicians have told “blatant lies” about the condition of Hungary’s democracy.
It was not clear when the bill would reach the full assembly, where Erdogan’s ruling party and its allies command a majority.
But the Turkish Parliament speaker, Numan Kurtulmus, told his Swedish counterpart Andreas Norlen in a video conference this week that he hopes the process would be finalized “as soon as possible,” according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
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.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- PSA: Coach Outlet Has Stocking Stuffers, Gifts Under $100 & More for the Holidays RN (up to 60% Off)
- The Bachelor's Kelsey Anderson Has Important News for Joey Graziadei in Sneak Peek
- Jax Taylor Addresses Cheating Rumors and Reveals the Real Reason for Brittany Cartwright Breakup
- Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce set to open steakhouse in Kansas City
- Man who stole and laundered roughly $1B in bitcoin is sentenced to 5 years in prison
- Amber Rose Says Ex-Boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly Apologized for Not Treating Her Better
- The Bachelor's Kelsey Anderson Has Important News for Joey Graziadei in Sneak Peek
- Gypsy Rose Blanchard Shares Why She Deleted Her Social Media Accounts
- The boy was found in a ditch in Wisconsin in 1959. He was identified 65 years later.
- One Tree Hill's Bryan Greenberg Joining Suits L.A. Spinoff Show
Ranking
- Subway rider who helped restrain man in NYC chokehold death says he wanted ex-Marine to ‘let go’
- Man shot with his own gun, critically wounded in fight aboard New York City subway, police say
- Some big seabirds have eaten and pooped their way onto a Japanese holy island's most-wanted list
- As Conflict Rages On, Israel and Gaza’s Environmental Fates May Be Intertwined
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- 1-year-old boy killed in dog attack at Connecticut home
- Outdoor Voices closing its stores. Activewear retailer reportedly plans online move
- Gerald Levin, the former Time Warner CEO who engineered a disastrous mega-merger, is dead at 84
Recommendation
-
Beyoncé has released lots of new products. Here's a Beyhive gift guide for the holidays
-
New censorship report finds that over 4,000 books were targeted in US libraries in 2023
-
John Oliver Has a Surprising Response to Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories
-
The Hugl Body Pillow Is Like Sleeping on Clouds – and It's on Sale
-
Republican Vos reelected as Wisconsin Assembly speaker despite losing seats, fights with Trump
-
Lyft and Uber say they will leave Minneapolis after city council forces them to pay drivers more
-
John Oliver Has a Surprising Response to Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories
-
Banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a Japanese high court rules