--- title: "Turkey approves Sweden’s Nato entry, leaving Hungary as the holdout" description: "Turkey’s parliament approved Sweden’s accession to Nato after months of deliberations, leaving Hungary as the lone holdout to the defence alliance’s northern enlargement." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "ALLIANCE BOOST" author: "Bloomberg" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-01-23-turkey-approves-swedens-nato-entry-leaving-hungary-as-the-holdout/" published: "2024-01-23T23:49:47" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 595 --- # Turkey approves Sweden’s Nato entry, leaving Hungary as the holdout > Turkey’s parliament approved Sweden’s accession to Nato after months of deliberations, leaving Hungary as the lone holdout to the defence alliance’s northern enlargement. By Bloomberg · Published 24 January 2024, 01:49 SAST ## Key points - In a parliamentary vote, Sweden's application to join NATO was approved, with President Erdogan expected to give it the final sign-off, marking a significant shift in the country's defense policy following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and potentially bolstering NATO's northern reach and eastern defense capabilities; however, Hungary's reluctance to ratify the membership has added a twist to the complex geopolitical web, with the sale of fighter planes becoming a bargaining chip. - Sweden's application to join NATO has been accepted by the Turkish parliament, pending final sign-off from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. - Sweden's entry into NATO would strengthen the alliance's northern reach and defense capabilities. - Turkey initially hesitated to approve Sweden's bid due to concerns over separatist groups, but Sweden assured compliance with NATO's membership criteria. - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson to Budapest for negotiations on Sweden's NATO bid. ## Content The parliament plenary in Ankara voted 287 to 55 to accept Sweden’s application on Tuesday, sending the document back to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a final sign-off before it can be deposited with the US State Department in Washington. Erdoğan has already backed Sweden’s membership and is widely expected to sign. The move puts Sweden on the cusp of realising its goal of becoming the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a year and eight months after putting in an application that marked a turnaround in its defence policy. Moving in lockstep with neighbouring Finland, Stockholm concluded in May 2022 that entering the alliance would be the best way to [deter any](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-11/finland-to-keep-russian-border-shut-to-protect-national-security)aggression from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Finland [joined Nato](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-04/finland-to-join-nato-as-alliance-expands-northwards) in April 2023. ![Perihan Koca (left), and Kezban Konukcu (right), legislators of the opposition Green Left Party (YSP) hold placards reading ‘No to Nato, Occupation, War’ during the voting on a bill on Sweden’s accession to the defence alliance, at the Grand National Assembly of Turkeyin Ankara on 23 January 2024. Sweden’s accession to Nato was accepted after the vote. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Necatu Savas)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/h38egpsT2-N_PEripMeD1U6SPgM=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/11969608.jpg) *Perihan Koca (left), and Kezban Konukcu (right), legislators of the opposition Green Left Party (YSP) hold placards reading ‘No to Nato, Occupation, War’ during the voting on a bill on Sweden’s accession to the defence alliance, at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara on 23 January 2024. Sweden’s accession to Nato was accepted after the vote. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Necatu Savas)* Sweden’s entry would bolster Nato, reinforcing its northern reach and improving its ability to defend the eastern flank. Sweden and Finland had previously shunned membership of military alliances until Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military actions changed that calculus. **Read More:**[What It Takes to Join Nato, a club refreshed by Putin](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-07/what-it-takes-to-join-nato-a-club-refreshed-by-putin) [Turkey had dragged its feet](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-25/why-turkey-is-still-blocking-sweden-s-nato-accession) on agreeing to Sweden’s proposal, which has to be signed off by all members. Ankara spent months insisting the Nordic country do more to crack down on supporters of separatist groups [outlawed in Turkey](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-07/erdogan-threatens-reprisals-against-us-backed-kurdish-militants), including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the US. Sweden’s response was that it complied with Nato’s membership criteria, but separately tightened laws against terrorism and lifted arms export restrictions to Turkey. #### **Hungary moves** In another sign of potential progress for Sweden’s membership, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a post on X that he had invited Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson to Budapest for negotiations on the Nato bid. Orban and his ministers have partly blamed Swedish criticism of Hungary’s democratic backsliding as one reason for not moving ahead with ratification in parliament. Hungary’s government has also said a courtesy call by Sweden’s leader to mend frayed ties could help to unblock the process. Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billstrom told reporters there was “no reason to negotiate” with the Hungarian government, though “the central thing for us is to continue to have a good and constructive dialogue with Budapest.” In a letter dated 23 January and seen by Bloomberg, Orban invited Kristersson to Hungary “to exchange views on all issues of common interest.” It is not clear if he will accept. #### **Complex web** Alongside Turkey’s issue with separatist groups in Sweden, the country’s deliberations were tangled in a more complex geopolitical web involving fighter planes. Turkey has since 2021 sought to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 aircraft from the US company and 79 kits to modernise its fleet. The country is overdue to retire its F-4 jets and wants to upgrade to F-16s as a stopgap measure until it can develop its own warplanes. US President Joe Biden has made Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s Nato membership a [prerequisite for the sale](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-05/turkey-snubs-us-pressure-on-f-16s-as-biden-meets-swedish-premier) of those jets, and Erdogan has also linked the two issues. Turkey is now likely to expect the US to move forward with the aircraft sale. **DM**