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In a surprise move, and with little fanfare, President Erdogan of Turkey signed a measure approving Sweden\u2019s bid to join the NATO military alliance and sent it to Parliament, according to a brief statement from his office<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Protocol on Sweden’s NATO Accession was signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan on October 23, 2023 and referred to the Grand National Assembly of T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n \u2014 Republic of T\u00fcrkiye Directorate of Communications (@Communications) October 23, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, both Finland and Sweden, which share borders with Russia, applied to join NATO, a process which must be approved by all members. Initially, Erdogan did not support either country, but in April, he backed Finland\u2019s request. He continued to hold out on supporting Sweden, saying Sweden was \u201cnot doing enough to crack down on Turkish separatists and other Turkish dissidents,\u201d reports Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sweden welcomed the move. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X<\/a>, the platform formerly known as Twitter. \u201cWe look forward to becoming a member of NATO.\u201d<\/p>\n Welcome that President Erdo\u011fan signed Sweden\u2019s ratification protocol to NATO and submitted it to the Grand National Assembly of T\u00fcrkiye. Parliamentary procedures will now commence. We are looking forward to becoming a member of NATO.<\/p>\n \u2014 SwedishPM (@SwedishPM) October 23, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also welcomed the news on Monday. \u201cI look forward to a speedy vote to ratify, and to welcoming Sweden as a full NATO ally very soon,\u201d he said in a statement sent to The Associated Press<\/a>. \u201cAs I told President Erdogan when we spoke on the weekend, this will make the whole Alliance stronger and more secure.\u201d<\/p>\n Stoltenberg raised the prospect that Sweden could join at the next NATO meeting of foreign ministers on Nov. 28 and 29, according to Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now that the president has signed the protocol on Sweden\u2019s NATO accession, parliament will need to approve the measure. The bill approving the measure first has to go to parliament\u2019s foreign affairs commission. Upon its passage through committee, it will be sent to the general assembly for ratification.<\/p>\n Erdogan\u2019s AK Party holds 322 out of the 600 seats in parliament. The main opposition, Republican People\u2019s Party, has previously voiced support for Sweden\u2019s membership, and ratification is expected. The timeline has not yet been set<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hungary is the final holdout on supporting Sweden\u2019s bid to join NATO. On Tuesday, the Hungarian parliament refused a proposal to hold a vote, reports The Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n The governing Fidesz party, which holds an absolute majority in the Hungarian parliament, is led by Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s ally, Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n, who has stalled Sweden\u2019s bid since July 2022, alleging that Swedish politicians have told \u201cblatant lies<\/a>\u201d about the condition of Hungary\u2019s democracy, reports the AP<\/a>.<\/p>\n Orb\u00e1n said earlier this year that Hungary was in \u201cno hurry\u201d<\/a> to ratify Sweden\u2019s bid, but, according to the AP<\/a>, Hungarian officials have also said repeatedly that their country will not be the last member to endorse Sweden\u2019s bid.<\/p>\n Holly Richardson is the editor of <\/em>Utah Policy<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Next steps<\/h3>\n