According to Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" on December 27, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly passed a bill on Sweden's accession to NATO.
The report said it was a key step toward expanding the Western military alliance after Turkey demanded security-related concessions from Sweden for 19 months.
According to Reuters, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly discussed Sweden's bill to join NATO on the 26th, and the ruling Justice and Development Party led by Erdogan, as well as the Republican People's Party and the National Action Party, all supported the adoption of the bill. In the end, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly voted to approve it.
Oktay, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, said that Sweden has made progress in combating the flow of funds to terrorism, but has not achieved the results that Turkey expects in the fight against terrorism.
Next, the bill on Sweden's accession to NATO will be submitted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly for discussion and voting, and the Justice and Development Party has a majority in parliament, the report said.
Once passed in parliament, the bill will be signed into law by Erdogan, ending a process that has frustrated some of Ankara's NATO allies and tested Turkey's relations with the West.
However, Oktay downplayed expectations for a swift vote in parliament, telling reporters that the timing of the vote would be decided by the speaker.
According to the report, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the adoption of the bill by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and urged Turkey and Hungary to complete the process of approving Sweden's accession to NATO "as soon as possible".