Sweden's NATO application clears another hurdle in Turkey
Sweden's application to join Nato has cleared another hurdle before ratification in the Turkish parliament. It will now be discussed by the Turkish parliament's Foreign Relations Commission, according to the state news agency Anadolu. It can then be submitted to the parliament in Ankara for a vote. However, a date for this has not yet been set.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that he welcomed the move. Nato would be stronger if Sweden joined the alliance. "We look forward to welcoming Sweden as a full alliance partner very soon," he said. In addition to approval by the Turkish parliament, approval by the Hungarian parliament is still pending.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected in Berlin on Friday. He signed the accession protocol at the end of October and forwarded it to parliament. This was preceded by months of tug-of-war.
Turkey had blocked Sweden's accession to NATO and repeatedly justified it with what it saw as Sweden's inadequate efforts against "terrorist organizations". Ankara is primarily concerned with the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG.
The Turkish parliament's Foreign Relations Commission will now discuss Sweden's NATO membership, following its clearance of another hurdle. Despite this progress, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains a key figure in the process, having signed the accession protocol and expressed concerns over Sweden's stance against "terrorist organizations" like the PKK.
Source: www.dpa.com
