Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee said on Friday that it would discuss Sweden’s NATO bid next week, reported Xinhua.
The committee said in a statement that the review of the bid is scheduled for Dec 26.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed Sweden’s NATO accession protocol and submitted it to the Parliament in October.
For ratification, the bill needs to be approved by the commission before being put to a full parliament vote.
On Tuesday, Erdogan was quoted as saying that Sweden’s NATO membership bid and United States’ F-16 fighter jet sale to Turkey “are linked”, and that President Joe Biden had promised to get Congress to secure the F-16 sale if Turkey ratifies Sweden’s NATO bid.
Turkey asked in October 2021 to buy 40 Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16 fighters and 79 modernisation kits for its existing warplanes.
Biden’s administration backs the $20 billion sale, but there have been objections in the Congress over Turkey delaying Sweden’s NATO entry and concerns over its human rights record.
At home, Erdogan’s nationalist ally (MHP) Mr. Devlet Bahceli is on record opposing ratification, until a permanent solution is found to the Palestine Problem.
Western diplomats speaking to MEE this week said they expect the Turkish parliament to ratify the protocols before the new year or soon after.
“The phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden last week appears to have gone well,” one western diplomat said, according to Ragip Soylu of Middle East Eye.
If the bill comes to the general floor, Erdogan can persuade MHP to abstain from voting, but he will still need support from opposition parties for passage. Pro-Kurdish rights party DEM is against the resolution, while the attitudes of CHP and IYIP are not known.
PA Turkey speculates that CHP, too, will abstain from the vote, while IYIP may lend support.
If Swedish accession is ratified, there is a strong chance Biden can overcome Congressional reluctance to finalize the F-16 sale. Ratification should also please EU, which has scheduled a debate on starting talks on a new Customs Union Treaty in 2024 mid-year leaders’ summit.
Better relations with the West would also be positive for investor sentiment, with most macro-strategy emerging market funds scrutinizing a country’s political stance vis-a-vis their host state before committing money.
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