Turkey’s parliament to debate Sweden’s NATO bid as Erdogan eyes Biden invite

Ezgi Akin

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the parliament. — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the Turkish parliament to mark the opening of the new legislative year, at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2022. Erdogan warned that Turkey would not ratify the NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland until the two Nordic countries "kept" promises they had made to Ankara. — ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

ANKARA — Turkey’s parliament will begin debating Sweden's NATO accession on Thursday, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan eyes a long-sought invitation to the White House from President Joe Biden.

Thursday's agenda of the Turkish parliament's Foreign Relations Committee includes Sweden's NATO accession protocols, the official calendar showed on Tuesday. The protocol will then be voted on by the parliament as soon as this month where Erdogan’s ruling alliance commands a majority.

Erdogan initiated the legislative process last month by submitting the accession protocols to the parliament after objecting for more than a year to the Nordic country’s entry into NATO on the grounds that it was allowing activities of individuals that Ankara deems as terrorists.

A White House visit?

Turkey’s parliament to debate Sweden’s NATO bid as Erdogan eyes Biden invite

The move, which comes as Turkish President Erdogan seeks a meeting with the US president, signals potential progress on the pending Turkish bid to buy new F-16 jets from the American side.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish

Read By