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The Turkish parliament postponed the decision about Sweden's NATO membership

2023-11-16 18:04:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Turkish parliament postponed the decision about Sweden's NATO

The Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee delayed a vote on Sweden's bid for NATO membership on Thursday, a further setback to the Nordic country's hopes of joining the Western alliance after 18 months of waiting.

Chairman Fuat Oktay said the commission, which is controlled by President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, would hold further talks and could put the bill back on its agenda next week - but he did not set a clear timeline. 

"For all our lawmakers to approve Sweden's NATO membership, they must be fully convinced. We will discuss all this at our (next) commission meeting (on this issue)," Oktay told journalists after several hours of debate.

The committee can approve bills by simple majority. She may invite the Swedish ambassador to brief lawmakers if necessary and if parliament's rules allow, Oktay added.

Erdogan said this month he would try to ease the ratification process, but added that Sweden had not taken enough action against Kurdish militants.

For ratification, the bill must be approved by committee before it goes to a full parliamentary vote, which could come days or weeks later. Erdogan would then sign it into law to complete the process, the length of which has frustrated Ankara's allies and tested its Western ties.

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Erdogan raised objections at the time to both demands for what he said was the Nordic countries' protection of what Turkey considers terrorists, as well as their defense trade embargoes. Turkey accepted Finland's offer in April but has kept Sweden on hold.

Turkey has demanded that Sweden take more steps to curb local members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), considered a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States./ CNA





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