“The protocol on Sweden’s accession to NATO was signed by [Turkish] President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 23, 2023 and submitted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly for consideration,” the administration said.
Sweden has long maintained a policy of neutrality in Europe's military standoffs, despite having defense agreements with NATO and other Scandinavian nations as a precautionary measure against possible aggression from the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. This neutral stance remained unchanged even after the dissolution of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact in the early 1990s.
However, this policy shifted when Russia embarked on its special operation in Ukraine in February 2022, partly due to concerns about Ukraine joining NATO. In response to mounting pressure from the West, both Stockholm and Helsinki were forced to reconsider their neutrality and eventually joined the anti-Russian US-led Western military bloc.
Ankara has consistently emphasized the need to address certain unresolved issues before ratifying Sweden's NATO membership bid. On July 10, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he would only support Stockholm's membership once the European Union extends a welcoming hand to Turkiye. Ever since the Turkish parliament reconvened in October, there has been no progress on ratifying Sweden's NATO bid. Turkiye's concerns about Sweden's membership revolve around the need for more decisive actions to prevent it from becoming a safe haven for pro-Kurdish militants, whom Ankara deems to be terrorists.
According to a report by a British news agency on October 16, the Erdogan government was inclined to delay the ratification of Sweden's NATO bid this month. The postponement was attributed to Turkiye’s expectation of signals indicating US support for its own efforts to acquire F-16 fighter jets. However, there seems to have been a change in Erdogan's stance on this matter.