Ankara, Dec 27 (UNI)- Sweden has lifted a defence export embargo on Turkey and started to issue procurement licences after the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee approved Sweden’s NATO membership, newspaper Yeni Safak reported on Wednesday, citing Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar.
According to the Turkish media, Akcapar said, “After the start of the process [of the approval of Sweden’s accession to NATO], the applications submitted by Turkish companies were positively completed.”
On Tuesday, the Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee approved Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
The next step of the process is a vote by the full parliament, and if the Nordic nation’s NATO membership resolution successfully sails through the legislature, it will still require final approval by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a complete ratification.
Sweden, along with Finland, submitted its NATO application in May 2022, several months after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. Finland became a member of the alliance in April 2023. Sweden’s application is still pending ratification by Turkey and Hungary.
Sweden lifts arms embargo on Turkey after Ankara moves forward with NATO bid approval
