The protocol of Sweden’s accession to NATO goes to the Turkish Parliament for discussion and voting.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today formally submitted to the National Assembly a bill to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership, which Ankara has blocked for 17 months, the Turkish presidency announced.

“Sweden’s accession protocol to NATO was signed on October 23, 2023 by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and sent to the Grand National Assembly”according to the presidency’s post on platform X.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson welcomed the “good news” writing, in his own message on the same platform: “Now it is up to the parliament to handle the matter. We are happy that we will become a member of NATO”.

Last July Erdogan lifted his veto on Sweden’s NATO membership, but clarified that final approval would be given by the Turkish parliament after the summer recess. The National Assembly resumed its work on October 1.

Erdogan, who spoke on Saturday by phone with the secretary general of NATO Jens Stoltenberghas been pressing Stockholm all summer to take action to stop activists who are burning copies of the Koran and poisoning relations between the two countries.

Ankara simultaneously argued that the Swedish authorities were showing “tolerance” towards Kurds who have taken refuge in the country and demanded the extradition of dozens of them, accusing them of being members of terrorist organizations.

Turkey and Hungary are the only countries, out of a total of 31 NATO members, that have not yet ratified Sweden’s membership. Ankara separated Finland’s request from Sweden’s and approved the former’s entry on March 30.