The “green light” for Sweden’s accession to NATO was given by Turkish National Assemblyfollowing the discussion and vote held on Tuesday.

In favor of inclusion 287 Turkish MPs votedagainst 55 who voted against.

The vote was the second step in Turkey’s ratification process after parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee approved the bid last month. The last step, now, is the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to sign the protocol to become law.

The result on Tuesday cleared a major obstacle to the Nordic country’s entry into the military alliance, with Hungary now the only member state that has yet to approve the Nordic country’s entry into the Alliance.

One factor linked to Erdogan’s approval of Sweden’s accession bid also hinges on the US sale of F-16s to Turkey.

Earlier today, Nationalist Action Party (MIP) leader and Erdogan’s government partner, Devlet Bahceli, said he would support Sweden’s NATO membership in the National Assembly Plenary.

The main opposition Kemalist Republican People’s Party (CHP) was also in favor of Sweden joining NATO.

During the marathon session of the National Assembly, the Islamist Happiness Party and the right-wing nationalist Good Party (IYI) of former interior minister Meral Aksener announced that they would vote against Sweden’s accession protocol.

Ben Cardin: Congress is waiting for signed accession documents

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardinsaid Tuesday that Congress, however, is waiting to see the accession documents completed before moving forward on the issue.

The timeline of approval by Ankara and Hungary

The most recent indication that Turkey is geared towards adopting the protocol was the “green light” it gave to Sweden’s participation in NATO’s Steadfast Defender 24 exercise, which begins on January 31 and will last until May 31. largest NATO exercise since the Cold War era. The plan for the exercise was finalized at NATO Military Commission meetings in Brussels on January 17 and 18, with the Turkish Chief of General Staff, General Metin Gürak, raising no objections to Sweden’s participation, a decision that could not have been made without the agreement of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The protocol of Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance was approved on December 26 by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish National Assembly, it was included in the agenda of the Plenary from January 16, in the first meeting after the New Year holidays, but it has not yet been put to a vote.

Ankara has delayed ratifying Sweden’s membership for more than a year, accusing the country of tolerating what it says are terrorist groups operating against Turkey, such as the Kurdish separatist PKK and followers of the preacher Fethullah. Gulen, whom the Turkish government accuses of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt.

Turkey has expressed its anger over demonstrations that took place in Sweden, during which protesters burned the Koran.

But beyond these issues, during the development of the process the matter was linked to Turkey’s supply of F-16 fighter jets from the US, with Ankara negotiating the simultaneous adoption of a decision by the US Congress on the fighters with the withdrawal from Ankara’s side of the stalemate on the Swedish issue.

For a state to be admitted as a new member to NATO, the parliaments of the existing 31 member states must approve the accession protocols. Apart from Turkey, Sweden’s NATO accession process is still ongoing in Hungary.