Swedish premier hails Türkiye's approval of NATO bid as 'key milestone'

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Thursday hailed Türkiye's approval of its NATO bid as a "key milestone" in its path to becoming a full member of the military alliance.

"Welcome Türkiye’s approval of the ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession. With this, a key milestone has been reached in Sweden’s path towards NATO membership," Kristersson said on X.

The remarks came as Türkiye published the bill approving the Nordic country's NATO membership in the Official Gazette, thus finalizing the ratification process.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the presidential decree on the accession, and approved the relevant protocol.

The Grand National Assembly on Tuesday ratified Sweden's membership in a 287 to 55 vote.

Admission of a new member requires the unanimous support of all NATO members, and Hungary is the now the only ally not to have ratified Sweden's accession.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022 following Russia's war on Ukraine earlier that year. Finland joined the alliance as its 31st member in April 2023.