Turkey approves Sweden’s NATO bid

The Turkish parliament on Tuesday ratified Sweden's bid to join NATO, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan now expected to sign it into law.

Turkey's move, which follows 20 months of diplomatic bargaining with Stockholm and Washington, leaves Hungary as the final NATO country yet to proceed with Sweden's bid to join the 31-member military alliance.

The ratification was adopted by the national assembly by a vote of 287 to 55.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called for a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson and stressed the need for "strong mutual trust ... between Sweden and Hungary." Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström declined negotiations, saying Stockholm would be open only to constructive dialogue.

Sweden applied to join in May 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted the Scandinavian country to drop its traditional neutrality.