Sweden one step closer to NATO membership

Sweden's accession protocol will now have to be approved by parliament, but no date has been set for a vote and the head of the foreign affairs committee told reporters not to expect it to happen soon. Since Sweden applied to join NATO after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, Turkey has repeatedly delayed the process, saying Sweden, the United States and Canada must meet Turkish demands. Both Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, a process that requires unanimous support from the alliance's 31 member states. Turkey initially blocked both, and although it has since given up on Finland, paving the way for that country to join NATO in March, Turkey has stuck with Sweden. Multiple NATO leaders have said Sweden has done everything necessary to join, and Turkey's repeated delays in approving Sweden's entry have angered other members of the alliance. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in addition to arguing that Sweden should crack down more on dissidents that his country considers terrorists, has linked the approval of Sweden's admission to the disputes that Turkey has with other NATO members.