International
Sweden, NATO welcome Turkish Parliament's ratification of Stockholm's NATO membership
January 24, 2024 | 12:03 PM
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed the Turkish Parliaments ratification of his countrys application for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).Kristersson confirmed, in a press statement on Wednesday, that his country is one step away from gaining full membership in the alliance.In turn, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the step taken by Turkiye, and urged Hungary to follow suit."I welcome the vote by the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye to ratify Sweden's membership in NATO," Stoltenberg said in a statement, adding that he would "count on Hungary to complete its national ratification as soon as possible".At the recent Vilnius summit, all NATO members agreed to invite Sweden to join our alliance, and Sweden has fulfilled its obligations, Stoltenberg added.The Turkish Parliament approved on Tuesday a draft law approving the protocol for Swedens accession to NATO. Last October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the protocol for Sweden's accession to the alliance, before referring it to Parliament.Hungary, which becomes the only country not to have ratified Sweden's accession to NATO yet, has provided its initial support, but first calls for "resolving the differences" with Sweden that prevent it from ratifying the latter's accession to the alliance. (QNA)
January 24, 2024 | 12:03 PM