ANKARA — The Turkish Parliament is expected to begin its debate on Sweden’s membership in NATO on Tuesday, furthering the Nordic nation’s accession to the alliance that has been pending for almost two years.
The full parliamentary vote on the accession is expected to be held same day, a parliamentary source told Al-Monitor.
The long-stalled ratification of the Swedish accession protocol will come after lawmakers on the Foreign Relations Committee from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling alliance endorsed the bill on Dec. 26, paving the way for a vote by the full parliament.
After a rare phone call between Erdogan and President Joe Biden last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Turkey this month as part of his fourth tour to the region, meeting with Erdogan and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.
