Erdogan sends Sweden's NATO accession protocol to Turkish Parliament for ratification

The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signed this Monday the protocol of Sweden's accession to the Atlantic Alliance, and has already referred it to the Turkish Parliament, which must give its final approval.

This has been confirmed by the communication department of the Turkish Presidency on its social networks, although it has not provided more information about when the issue will be addressed in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Shortly after, the office of the Prime Minister of Sweden launched a publication on its official profile on the social network

"I am glad to know that Turkish President Erdogan has delivered the ratification documents to the Turkish Parliament. It is now up to Parliament to address the issue. We hope to become a member of NATO," said the head of the Swedish Government, Ulf Kristersson.

Sweden's path to joining NATO began during the allies' summit in Madrid in the summer of 2022 with Finland, but since then it has been blocked by Turkey and Hungary, which have not yet ratified their membership.

Now, even if the Turkish Grand National Assembly votes in favor of Sweden's entry into the Atlantic Alliance, Stockholm will still need Budapest to also give its approval, thus achieving the approval of all NATO members.

The authorities have pointed out on several occasions the presence of pro-Kurdish movements in Sweden, especially with regard to any support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which they consider a terrorist organization.

Furthermore, over the last few months there have been several incidents in Swedish territory related to the burning of copies of the Koran, the holy book of Islam, as well as against the figure of President Erdogan himself.

In the case of Hungary, misgivings derive from the alleged "insults" received. "They say that Hungary is not a democracy, but a dictatorship," said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in July, accusing the Swedish authorities of interfering in internal issues that do not concern them.