Turkey’s parliament voted yesterday to formally approve Sweden’s NATO accession, which requires unanimous approval from the alliance’s 31 members. The move comes nearly two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, which prompted Sweden and Finland to apply to join the alliance. Sweden’s accession now only requires approval from Hungary. (New York Times)
Our Take
Parliamentary approval from Turkey resolves a nearly two-year diplomatic stalemate, the outcome of which seemed inevitable even at its most tense. Still, the outcome is significant and represents the culmination of three stories in one, with different implications for each of the three parties involved:
For Turkey, approval of Sweden’s NATO accession eases Ankara’s relations with its Western allies, particularly Washington. The U.S. has long had a hot-and-cold relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose foreign policy postures have seemed at times transactional, at times impetuous and almost always unpredictable.