Turkish Parliament must ratify Sweden’s NATO membership

Ankara, Jul 13 (Prensa Latina) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considered it necessary to leave the ratification of Sweden's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the discretion of the members of Parliament, Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.

July 13, 2023
13:39

According to the president, the approval of the protocols for Sweden’s access to NATO is the prerogative of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, a process that is already underway, Erdogan said.

Our Parliament will follow all the set deadlines and will make the appropriate decision, in accordance with our national interests, the head of State noted upon returning from the summit of the Atlantic alliance in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Last Monday, the president gave the go-ahead to bring the issue of Sweden’s access to the military pact to the Turkish legislature, after several months of demands to Stockholm related to the approval of anti-terrorism regulations.

In addition, Türkiye’s decision to endorse Sweden’s membership was tinged by at least two cases of Koran and other Islamic holy books burned in Stockholm, which provoked negative reactions from Ankara that cast doubt on Sweden’s membership.

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