Turkey's Erdogan submits Sweden's NATO bid to parliament for ratification, presidency says
Turkey's Erdogan submits Sweden's NATO bid to parliament for ratification, presidency says
The move is welcomed by Stockholm as it clears the way for it to join the Western defense alliance. Hungary's parliament will also have to ratify Sweden's application before it can become a member.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
ANKARA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday submitted a bill approving Sweden's NATO membership bid to parliament for ratification, his office said, a move welcomed by Stockholm as it clears the way for it to join the Western defence alliance.
Erdogan pleased his NATO allies at a summit in July by promising to send the legislation to parliament when it reopened on Oct. 1, having previously raised objections over Sweden's alleged harbouring of individuals who Turkey says are members of terrorist groups.
Since parliament reopened, however, Turkish officials have repeatedly said Stockholm needed to take more concrete steps to clamp down on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia before Ankara could ratify its membership bid.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he was looking forward to a "speedy vote" in the Turkish parliament and to welcoming Sweden as an ally "very soon".
Analysts say the bill is expected to be passed in parliament once it is submitted to the general assembly, but it is unclear when Ankara will schedule the vote.
Turkey, which has NATO's second-biggest army, has long been seeking U.S. congressional approval for a $20 billion sale of F-16 jets and modernisation kits.
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