Turkey PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO head Jens Stoltenberg and Sweden PM Ulf Kristersson at the NATO Summit in July 2023|@SwedishPM|X

Turkey’s parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO membership bid with a 287-55 vote, overcoming a major hurdle after 20 months of delay.

The approval is expected to enhance NATO defenses in the Baltic Sea region and further challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin’s opposition to NATO’s eastward expansion. He had in the past claimed that Russia invaded Ukraine to block such expansion.

Turkey initially objected to Sweden and Finland’s applications in 2022, citing concerns about their alleged support for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), deemed a terrorist group by the US and EU. This led Sweden to introduce anti-terrorism legislation.

Last year, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped opposition, linking approval to F-16 fighter jet sales and trade embargoes removal.