President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey officially submitted Sweden’s NATO membership application to parliament, marking a significant step toward resolving a 17-month diplomatic standoff. Turkey and Hungary were the only NATO members that had not yet ratified Sweden’s membership request. Sweden applied for NATO membership after changing its long-standing policy of non-alignment following Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Erdogan’s submission of the membership protocol followed his agreement at a NATO summit in Vilnius in July. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed the news and expressed hope for becoming a NATO member.
Sweden’s neighbor, Finland, which also applied for NATO membership at the same time, was granted membership in April. The diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Sweden were partly fueled by concerns over Quran burnings at protests in Sweden and Turkey’s claims that Sweden was harboring Kurdish militants.
With this submission to the Turkish parliament, Sweden’s path to NATO membership has taken a significant step forward.
