By Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - US State Department on Monday welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's move to sign Sweden's NATO accession protocol and forward it to the Turkish parliament.
"We welcome that step," Spokesman Matthew Miller told a press briefing.
Noting that the US has been calling for the ratification of Sweden’s accession for some time, Miller said: "We look forward to that bill being considered in the Turkish parliament and passed as soon as possible."
President Erdogan on Monday signed the accession protocol and submitted it to parliament, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.
The Swedish Prime Ministry also welcomed Türkiye's announcement.
Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched a war in Ukraine in February 2022.
Türkiye previously approved Finland's membership to NATO but had said it was waiting for Sweden to abide by a trilateral memorandum signed in June 2022 in Madrid to address Ankara's security concerns.