Erdogan Officially Greenlights Sweden’s NATO Ascension

After nearly two years of political deliberation and maneuvering, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official gazette reveals that he has signed parliament’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO bid, marking the final step in Sweden’s political approval process to join the military alliance.

Earlier this week, Turkey’s parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of Sweden’s entry into the 31-member organization.

Now that Turkey’s approval is secured, the only remaining obstacle in Sweden’s path to NATO membership is Hungary.

Critics often highlight Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s anti-democratic reforms and pro-Putin sympathies. Despite assuring that Hungary wouldn’t be the last member-state to accept Sweden, Orban has delayed Sweden’s bid.

Orban recently sent a letter to his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, inviting him to Budapest for further discussions on the matter.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, both Sweden and its Nordic neighbor Finland submitted applications to join the alliance for the first time.

NATO, formed by Western European powers in 1949 after World War II, aimed to counter the growing threat of the Soviet Union and its communist bloc. Until 2022, despite being European Union members and under its security umbrella, Sweden and Finland officially adhered to Cold War-era neutrality and pledged allegiance to the Non-Aligned movement.