Turkish parliament postponed Sweden’s NATO accession deliberations

Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee decided to postpone the deliberations on Sweden’s Accession Protocol to NATO, stating that they needed more information from Sweden about its commitments at the first meeting after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed the protocol for the parliamentary approval.

The Foreign Affairs Committee on November 16 voted to adjourn the meeting which was convened to discuss the Sweden’s NATO accession protocol signed by President Erdoğan in October, stating that more information should be obtained from Sweden on its commitments to Türkiye, Gülsen Solaker from DW reported.

Sweden and Finland applied to be the member of NATO after Russia’s Ukraine offensive. As a member of the alliance Türkiye vetoed the two countries’ accession procedure stating its security concerns. Upon diplomatic efforts, Ankara approved Finland’s accession however held its veto over Sweden’s bid especially after Quran burning incidents.

After intense diplomatic talks, Erdoğan signed the protocol on October 23 and sent it to the parliament. As a part of the procedure, the protocol has to be first examined at the committee and then conveyed to the grand assembly for voting.

Turkish parliament postponed the process

The Commission’s Chair Fuat Oktay stated that during the first meeting after Erdoğan’s signature, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP’s said that the talks were taking too long and other relevant officials should also attend the meetings. Upon their request a motion to adjourn the meeting was accepted.

“Unfortunately, our interlocutors do not show us the sensitivity we show,” Oktay said, adding that it was important for them to act in line with Turkey’s interests.

It is not clear when the Commission will meet again.

There are 27 members in total in the Foreign Affairs Commission, which is made up of deputies from the ruling and opposition parties, and 14 of them, excluding the chairman Fuat Oktay are from ruling alliance.

Decisions in the commissions are taken by majority vote.

Before the Commission, Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş held a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Andreas Norlen via videoconference.

Stating that he was closely following the process regarding Sweden’s NATO membership, Kurtulmuş said that they hoped to finalize the process as soon as possible.