ISTANBUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2023) The foreign affairs committee of the Turkish parliament will keep working during the summer break following information about possible consideration of Sweden's NATO bid, the parliament's official journal Resmi Gazete said on Saturday.
On July 1, members of the Turkish parliament went on vacation, which will last until October.
"At a sitting of the General Assembly of Parliament, it was decided that the Foreign Affairs Committee can continue to work while the lawmakers are on vacation and during breaks in the work of Parliament," the journal said.
Several other committees, including the committee on industry, trade, energy, information and technology, as well as the constitutional committee, were also allowed to continue their work during the summer break.
On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed to transmit Sweden's long-awaited NATO membership bid to the parliament and to work closely with lawmakers to ensure its ratification. However, no information has been provided so far with regard to the ratification deadline.
Sweden, along with Finland, submitted its NATO application in May 2022, several months after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. Finland's application was ratified by all 30 members of the alliance, while Sweden's bid is still pending approval from Hungary and Turkey.
