Turkish government advances Sweden’s bid to join NATO

Sweden and Finland applied to join the treaty organization last year after Russia invaded Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee voted in favor of Sweden’s bid to join NATO. A date was not immediately set for the parliament’s general assembly to vote on the matter. NATO member countries approved Finland’s request to join the alliance earlier this year. Turkey has held out against Sweden’s membership, saying it hasn’t cracked down on groups that Turkey considers to be threats to its security.

Will Sweden be joining NATO? Hungary has also opposed Sweden joining the alliance, accusing Swedish politicians of lying about the state of Hungarian democracy. Some Hungarian politicians have said they think their government will approve Sweden’s bid once Turkey has done so—but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has emphasized the independence of Hungary’s parliament. Hungary has not said when it will vote on Sweden’s membership. NATO requires the unanimous consent of all member nations before new countries can join the alliance.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions about a Quran burning in Sweden.