Turkiye's Erdogan submits protocol for Sweden's admission into NATO to Parliament for ratification

Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submits protocol for Sweden's NATO admission to parliament for ratification. All 31 allies must endorse, only Turkiye and Hungary yet to ratify. Sweden welcomed move, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hailed it, saying it will make the alliance stronger and more secure.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has submitted a protocol for Sweden’s admission into NATO to Turkiye’s parliament for ratification, his office said on October 23, bringing the Nordic country a step closer to membership in the military alliance.

Mr. Erdogan had been delaying ratification of Sweden’s membership, accusing Stockholm of being too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups his country considers to be security threats. Turkiye also was angered by a series of Quran-burning protests in Sweden.

All 31 NATO allies must endorse Sweden’s membership. Turkiye and Hungary are the only two allies that have yet to ratify it.

A brief statement from the presidential communications directorate said Mr. Erdogan had signed the protocol on Sweden's NATO accession, which was then submitted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. It was not known when Sweden’s membership would come to the floor.

Sweden welcomed the move.

“Glad to hear that Turkish President Erdoğan has now handed over the ratification documents to the Turkish Parliament," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "Now it remains for Parliament to deal with the issue. We look forward to becoming a member of NATO.”

Sweden and its neighbour Finland abandoned decades of military nonalignment and sought protection under NATO's security umbrella after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the military alliance in April after Turkiye lifted its objections to its membership, saying Helsinki had taken steps to address Ankara's security concerns.