ISTANBUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th July, 2023) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the national parliament would vote on Sweden's bid to join NATO after it returns from the summer break in October.
"When the parliament reopens we will do what is needed and the legislators will consider Sweden's application. The final decision is up to the legislators," Erdogan said in an address to the nation.
Erdogan, who spoke after chairing a cabinet meeting at the presidential residence in Ankara, said the government had told Sweden what should be done to counter the threat of terrorism and Islamophobia, and was ready to resolve any outstanding issues through dialogue.
Turkey and Hungary are the last holdouts against the Nordic nation joining the military alliance. Their parliaments need to ratify the application for Sweden to become the 32nd NATO member state.
Erdogan agreed on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the national legislature after Sweden promised to back the resumption of the long-stalled membership talks between the European Union and Turkey.
