UPDATE - US State Department welcomes Turkish parliament's progress on Sweden's NATO bid

ADDS BACKGROUND

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US State Department welcomed a Turkish parliamentary committee's approval Tuesday of Sweden's NATO bid.

“We welcome the Turkish Parliament’s progress in advancing Sweden’s accession protocols and look forward to swift passage by the full parliament,” a State Department spokesperson told Anadolu in an email.

“As a highly capable defense partner, Sweden’s prompt accession into NATO will strengthen the Alliance,” said the spokesperson.

Asked when the State Department plans to move forward with the sale of F-16 jets to Türkiye, the spokesperson said the US would not confirm or comment on arms transfers until it has been formally notified to Congress

“President Biden has long been clear that he supports modernizing Turkiye’s F-16 fleet, which will improve its NATO interoperability,” the spokesperson added.

Legislation greenlighting Sweden's accession to NATO was approved by the Turkish parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, leaving only one vote in the general assembly to grant or deny Türkiye’s full approval.

It came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed Sweden's NATO accession protocol and submitted it to parliament in October.

Finland and Sweden, both Nordic countries close to or bordering Russia, applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022.

Türkiye approved Finland's membership in the alliance in March but said it was waiting for Sweden to abide by a June 2022 trilateral memorandum to address Ankara's security concerns.

New members of NATO must be approved by all current members, including Türkiye, a member of the alliance for more than 70 years which boasts its second-largest army.

Hungary is the only NATO member besides Türkiye that has not yet approved Sweden’s bid to join the alliance.

Türkiye is seeking to purchase from the US the latest model F-16 Block 70 aircraft, as well as 79 modernization kits to upgrade its remaining F-16s to Block 70 level.

Although the Biden administration repeatedly said it wants to move forward with the sale of F-16 jets to Türkiye, key lawmakers on Capitol Hill have vowed to nix the deal because of several demands, including making the purchase contingent on Ankara's approval of Sweden's NATO membership bid.