Turkey’s president submits protocol for Sweden’s admission into NATO to parliament for ratification

By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has submitted a protocol for Sweden’s admission into NATO to Turkey’s parliament for ratification. That brings the Nordic country a step closer to membership in the military alliance. Erdogan had been delaying ratification of Sweden’s membership, accusing Stockholm of being too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups he considers to be security threats. All 31 NATO allies must endorse Sweden’s membership. Turkey and Hungary have yet to ratify it. It was not immediately known when Sweden’s membership would come to the floor. Sweden and its neighbor Finland abandoned decades of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the military alliance in April.