World News | Turkiye's Parliament Agrees to Hold Long-delayed Vote on Sweden's NATO Membership
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Turkish legislators scheduled a long-delayed vote Tuesday on Sweden's bid to join NATO, in a step that could remove a major hurdle for the previously nonaligned Nordic country's entry into the military alliance.
Ankara, Jan 23 (AP) Turkish legislators scheduled a long-delayed vote Tuesday on Sweden's bid to join NATO, in a step that could remove a major hurdle for the previously nonaligned Nordic country's entry into the military alliance.
Turkey, a NATO member, has been dragging its feet on ratifying Sweden's accession for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups it regards as security threats.
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It has been seeking concessions from Sweden, including a tougher stance toward Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.
Turkey has also been angered by a series of demonstrations by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party in Sweden as well as Quran-burning protests that roiled Muslim countries.
Last month, parliament's foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden's bid in the first stage of the legislative process, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent its accession protocol to lawmakers for approval.
Erdogan's governing party and its nationalist allies command a majority in parliament, and the protocol was expected to be approved later Tuesday.(AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)