A general view of the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly during the debate on the bill on the approval of the Ratification of the Protocol on Sweden's Accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Ankara, Türkiye, January 23, 2024. /CFP
Türkiye's parliament ratified Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, clearing the biggest remaining hurdle to expanding the Western military alliance.
Türkiye's general assembly, where President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling alliance holds a majority, voted 287-55 to approve the application that Sweden first made in 2022 to bolster its security.
Erdogan is expected to sign the bill into law within a few days.
With Türkiye's ratification, Hungary will become the only NATO member country that hasn't approved Sweden's application to join the military alliance.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO after Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in 2022. Their accession requires the unanimous approval of all members of NATO.
Türkiye approved Finland's NATO bid in March last year but has slow-walked Sweden's accession, demanding the Nordic country further address Ankara's security concerns – its protection of groups Ankara deems terrorists.
In October last year, Erdogan signed Sweden's NATO accession protocol and submitted it to the parliament for ratification.
"We support NATO enlargement to improve the alliance's deterrence efforts. We hope Finland and Sweden's attitude towards fighting terrorism sets an example for our other allies," Fuat Oktay, head of parliament's foreign affairs commission and a ruling AK Party member, said during a debate on Tuesday.
"I greatly appreciate the Turkish Parliament's decision to approve Sweden's entry into NATO today," U.S. Ambassador Jeff Flake said in a written statement on Tuesday.
He said Türkiye's "commitment to the NATO Alliance clearly demonstrates our enduring partnership."
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom also welcomed the Turkish parliament's approval. "We now look forward to President Erdogan signing the ratification document," Billstrom said in a written statement.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the Turkish move and said, "I also count on Hungary to complete its national ratification as soon as possible."
(With input from agencies)