< p>The long-awaited protocol must be approved by the full General Assembly.
December 26 Sweden moved closer to joining NATO after the Turkish parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee gave the green light to the northern country's protocol for membership in the military alliance.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped his objections to Sweden's membership during the NATO summit in July, but it took him several months to send the bill to parliament for ratification and several weeks to the parliamentary committee gave its consent.
The long-awaited protocol must now be approved by the full General Assembly, and it remains to be seen how quickly the matter will be tabled.
Sweden and Finland have abandoned their decades-long neutrality and are seeking NATO membership amid heightened security concerns following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Finland became NATO's 31st member earlier this year after Turkey's parliament ratified its application to join.
Hungary, the only NATO country holding off on Sweden's entry, has not announced when ratification might occur.
TSN.ua brings to your attention an adaptation of the Associated Press material with an overview of the problems delaying Sweden's entry into NATO. Analysts tried to figure out why Turkey finally agreed to Sweden's bid and what to expect next.
Why Turkey has been slow until now?
Turkey's opposition to Sweden's NATO membership followed its belief that the northern country was too “soft” on supporters of Kurdish militants and other groups in Sweden that Ankara views as a security threat. These include people associated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a 39-year insurgency in Turkey, as well as those involved in the 2016 coup attempt against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey, Sweden and Finland reached an agreement last year to address Ankara's security concerns, and Sweden subsequently moved to strengthen anti-terrorism legislation, making support for extremist organizations punishable by up to eight years in prison.
But a series of anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic protests in Stockholm – some of which included the burning of the Koran – have also angered Erdogan's government and the Turkish public. Although the demonstrations were condemned by the Swedish government, the Turkish government criticized Sweden, which has laws protecting free speech, for allowing expressions of anti-Muslim sentiment.
What made Turkey change its decision?
While Sweden strengthened its anti-terrorism laws to respond to Ankara's security concerns, NATO agreed to create a special counter-terrorism coordinator and appointed Assistant Secretary General Tom Goffus to the position.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the alliance's July summit that Sweden had agreed to “actively support efforts to accelerate Turkey's accession to the EU.” Sweden has announced that it will seek to improve customs procedures and will take steps to introduce a visa-free regime for Turkish citizens.
Turkey's EU membership talks stalled in 2018 due to the country's democratic backsliding and poor human rights record.
Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly linked Sweden's NATO membership to Ankara's efforts to acquire US-made F-16 fighter jets, and also called on Canada and other NATO allies to lift the arms embargo on Turkey.
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During a debate on Tuesday, December 26, in a parliamentary committee, opposition lawmaker Oguz Kaan Salici questioned whether the government had received assurances from the United States on the sale of the F-16.
US President Joe Biden's administration supports Turkey's request for the F-16, but there is strong opposition in the US Congress to selling arms to Turkey. Turkey wants to purchase 40 new F-16 fighters and upgrade kits for its existing fleet.
What's happening now?
Approval by the parliamentary committee paves the way for discussion and ratification of the protocol on Sweden's accession to the Alliance by the General Assembly. After that, it must be signed by Erdogan to take effect.
Erdogan's ruling party and its allies have a majority in the 600-seat parliament. However, Erdogan said the decision rests with lawmakers. Nationalist allies of his ruling party remain dissatisfied with Sweden's membership and accuse NATO members of indifference to the PKK threat to Turkey.
Kurdish fighters tried to infiltrate a Turkish base in northern Iraq this week, leaving 12 soldiers dead in two days of fighting.
Islamist parties, frustrated by Western silence on Israel's military actions in Gaza, may vote against the bill.
What about Hungary?
Hungary's ruling Fidesz party, led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, widely seen as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's only allies in the EU, has been stalling Sweden's bid to join NATO since July 2022. claiming Swedish politicians are telling “outright lies” about the state of democracy in Hungary.
However, neither Orban nor his officials have indicated what kind of compensation they are demanding from Stockholm in order to lift their reservations regarding Sweden's entry into the military alliance.
Some critics argue that Hungary is using its potential veto over Swedish accession as a tool to extract concessions from the European Union, which has frozen billions of dollars in funds for Budapest over concerns about minority rights and the rule of law.
Hungarian officials have repeatedly said that their country will not be the last NATO member to support Sweden's bid. But Ankara's move toward ratification suggests time may be running out for further delays.
Some opposition politicians in Hungary, who favored immediate approval of Sweden's bid, believe Orbán's party is following Ankara's schedule and will vote for approval once it is clear that Turkey will do the same in soon.
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