Recep Tayyip Erdoan, the president of Turkey, has sent Sweden’s Nato application to the Turkish parliament for ratification. This brings the Scandinavian nation one step closer towards joining the western alliance.
The Turkish communications directorate announced Erdogan’s decision on Monday. This triggered the debate in the Swedish parliament about Nato membership.
The President vowed to remove his opposition to Sweden joining the EU in July, but the process was slowed down by the summer recess of the parliament and the persistent concern in Ankara about Stockholm’s inability to combat terrorism and Islamophobia in its borders.
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary-general, said on Monday that he was pleased with the president’s choice and looked forward “to a swift vote to ratify” and “to welcoming Sweden as an ally full Nato very soon”.
Ulf Kristersson welcomed Erdogan’s decision to bring the Nato application of Sweden to parliament. He said, “We look forward to joining Nato.”
According to Kristersson the security situation in Sweden is the worst since the Second World War. It faces pressure from Russia and muslim countries as well as internal violence from gangs.
Last week, the Scandinavian nation was shook by a terrorist attack that left two Swedish football fans dead and another injured. This was in response to violent protests across the Islamic world including Turkey after a spate of Koran-burnings in Scandinavia. Backlash included the closure of Sweden’s Embassy in Iraq.
Stockholm passed a new law against terrorism this year to appease Turkish demands. In July, a Swedish court sent a Turkish man behind bars for funding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a separatist organization that has waged a violent insurgency Turkey since decades. A Swedish man was sentenced to prison for the first-ever hate speech charge for burning a Koran.
Analysts said that the approval of the president is critical to the finalisation of the ratification.
Budapest is expected to follow Ankara in ratifying the decision. Hungary’s Parliament reconvenes Tuesday.
A spokesperson from the government of Hungary did not respond immediately to a comment request.
Stockholm’s policy of neutrality was ended by its request to join Nato, which counts the US and Europe as members.
In April, Finland, which has a 1,340km-long border with Russia, became a member of Nato. Both countries applied simultaneously for membership, but they were separated when Ankara dropped its objections and Budapest dropped Budapest’s.
Erdogan’s decision of sending the Swedish bid to the parliament comes at a time when Turkey’s President has been trying to improve relations with Europe and the US, and drum up investment.
Mehmet Simsek , the Finance Minister of Turkey, told in September that Turkey was in the process to pull out of a “geopolitical depression”, something that would be key in luring back investors who had abandoned Turkey’s markets in recent times.
The Turkish government is also eager to seal a deal for the purchase of F-16 fighter planes worth billions of US dollars. Joe Biden’s administration supports the deal but the US Congress has blocked it. Washington will not move unless Ankara shows signs that it is ready to approve Sweden’s Nato membership.