US welcomes Turkish president's approval of ratification of Sweden's NATO membership

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's signing off on his parliament's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership bid, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday.

"We welcome Turkish President Erdogan’s signature of the Articles of Ratification for Sweden’s @NATO membership," Blinken said on X.

"We look forward to receiving the instruments (of ratification) in Washington and welcoming Sweden as NATO’s 32nd Ally. Sweden and the Alliance are stronger together," he wrote.

Earlier in the day, the law passed by the Turkish parliament approving Sweden's NATO membership was published in Türkiye’s Official Gazette, finalizing the ratification, said the Communications Directorate.

President Erdogan signed the presidential decree on the Nordic country's accession into the military alliance and approved the relevant protocol. The law has now come into effect.

The Turkish parliament 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 now the only ally not to have ratified Sweden's accession.

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