The Turkish parliament voted in favor of Sweden joining NATO on Tuesday, following a 20-month deadlock due to tensions between Ankara and Stockholm.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson praised the Turkish lawmakers. “Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO. Positive that the Grand General Assembly of Türkiye has voted in favor of Sweden’s NATO accession,” Kristersson wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to sign the bill within days, according to the BBC. It will leave Hungary as the final member of the 31-nation alliance to approve Sweden’s bid.
Ankara had previously refused to greenlight the accession of Sweden, demanding that the Nordic country toughen its stance on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Türkiye considers a terrorist group. Türkiye has accused the Swedish authorities of harboring Kurdish activists with ties to the PKK and demanded their extradition.