Turkey finalized the ratification of Sweden’s membership in NATO on Thursday, bringing the previously nonaligned Nordic country a step closer to joining the military alliance.
Hungary now remains the only NATO ally not to have ratified Sweden’s accession.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later also linked the ratification to Turkey’s desire to buy fighter jets from the United States. He has also called on Canada and other NATO allies to lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey over human rights concerns.
Ankara has requested 40 new F-16 fighter jets as well as kits to modernize its existing fleet. U.S. administration officials have said they expect relatively quick action on the F-16 sale after Turkey’s ratification.
The presidency’s communications directorate said Erdogan had “decided to publish the law” on Sweden’s NATO accession, passed by parliament, and signed a presidential decree approving Stockholm’s accession protocol.
The delay had frustrated some of Ankara’s allies but allowed it to extract certain concessions.
Ankara will now expect the United States to begin working on securing the U.S. Congress’ endorsement for a sale of $20 billion worth of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, which both Erdogan and members of Congress had linked to Sweden’s ratification, commented Reuters.
US ambassador Flake hopeful on bilateral relations
In an interview with the daily Hürriyet after the Turkish Parliament voted in favor Sweden joining NATO, Ambassador Jeff Flake has evaluated the impact of this vote on NATO’s strength and the future of the Turkish-American relationship.
“As far as relations with the United States, this is something that the U.S. has felt very strongly about: Strengthening NATO. The U.S. Congress has felt very strongly about this as well, so to have this happen is wonderful. I think it paves the way for cooperation and collaboration in other areas like never before. And so this is a great time in a new era,” the envoy stated.
Flake congratulated the Turkish Parliament and the Turkish government for the move which he says improves Türkiye’s security and the collective security of the alliance.
“This means a lot in terms of NATO security. Sweden brings a very capable military and a commitment to collective security, as did Finland. So, to have 32 members of NATO ready to sacrifice, to ensure the security of others, is just a wonderful thing. NATO has been a very successful institution for decades and it is even stronger now,” he suggested.
The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey told Reuters that the State Department will immediately send Congress the notification once the instrument of ratification is received in Washington.
The final accession document from Ankara – the instrument of ratification – will now be sent to Washington as per NATO rules.
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