President Erdogan Signs Sweden's NATO Accession, Will Turkish Parliament Ratify It?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received a visit from Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkey)

JAKARTA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the accession to membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) proposed by Sweden, a good step that was welcomed by the alliance, Stockholm and the United States, although it also had to be approved by the Turkish Parliament.

The signing on Monday came after Turkey repeatedly asked Sweden to take firm and concrete steps in eradicating the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia which is considered a terrorist by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

"The Swedish NATO Accession Protocol was signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 23, 2023 and referred to the Turkish Grand National Assembly," wrote the Turkish Presidency on social media platform X without explaining further, reported by Reuters, October 24.

President Erdogan's approval was welcomed by Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson, awaiting the response that will be given by the Turkish Parliament.

"Now it's up to parliament to deal with this question," wrote PM Kristersson in X.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he looked forward to a “swift vote” in Turkey's parliament and welcomed Sweden as an ally “very soon”.

Separately, the US State Department also welcomed the move, awaiting subsequent approval from the Turkish Parliament.

"We welcome the move," spokesman Matthew Miller said at a news conference.

"We hope that the bill will be considered in the Turkish Parliament and passed as soon as possible," he continued.

However, Türkiye has not yet set a timeframe for ratification. The bill will be placed on the agenda of parliament's foreign affairs commission, which must pass it before it can be sent to the general assembly for ratification.

Analysts say the bill is expected to be passed in parliament after being submitted to the general assembly, but it is not yet clear when Ankara will schedule a vote.

It is known that President Erdogan's AK Party, together with its nationalist and Islamist partners, occupies 322 of the 600 seats in parliament. Meanwhile, the main Republican People's Party (CHP) has previously voiced support for Sweden's membership.

"Actually, if it is proposed, it will be approved," said Sinan Ulgen, a former diplomat and director of the Istanbul-based Center for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies.

"Unless Erdogan takes a negative stance that will have an impact on the AKP's vote share. Now the question is, when will parliament decide to schedule a vote. It could be fast or maybe not," said Ulgen in X".

If approved by Turkey, Sweden would also have to obtain a similar accession agreement from Hungary before joining the alliance.

"Hungary has said several times that they do not want to be last in this process," Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told Swedish news agency TT.

"Now that the ratification process has started in Ankara, we assume the same will happen soon in Budapest," he hoped.

It is known that Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both must receive approval from all member countries.

Finland's accession was approved last April. Meanwhile, Sweden's accession was hampered by the approval of Türkiye and Hungary.