Turkey Agrees To Back Sweden’s Bid To Join NATO

Turkey's acceptance marks a major step forward, but does not quite guarantee that Sweden will become the next new member of NATO.

On Monday, Turkey agreed to back Sweden’s bid to join NATO.

For over a year now, Turkish President Recep Erdoğan has blocked Sweden from joining the military alliance. The leader originally said Sweden could only join NATO after his country is accepted into the European Union.

Following a meeting with Erdoğan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, it was said that the Turkish president “has agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the Grand National Assembly as soon as possible, and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification”.

Erdoğan’s acceptance marks a major step forward, but does not quite guarantee that Sweden will become the next new member of NATO.