Sweden’s NATO accession protocol sent to parliamentary panel

ANKARA

The accession protocol of Sweden to join NATO has been sent to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish parliament, the Demiören News Agency has reported.

The agency informed that the office of Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş dispatched the accession protocol to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 25. The protocol, which envisages the admission of Sweden into the alliance, was approved by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and sent to the parliament on Oct. 23.

The Foreign Affairs Committee will decide when to discuss and vote on the protocol. After its approval at the panel, the protocol will be delivered to the General Assembly.

Sweden decided to join NATO with Finland after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Türkiye and two Nordic states signed a trilateral agreement that details the actions Sweden and Finland will take in the fight against anti-Türkiye terror groups on their soils. Finland joined the alliance in April.

NATO, Sweden and the United States welcomed Türkiye’s decision to move forward the ratification process of the Nordic state.