ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday signed Sweden's NATO accession protocol and submitted it to parliament, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate. 

The Swedish Prime Ministry welcomed Türkiye's announcement. 

"Parliamentary procedures will now commence. We look forward to becoming a member of NATO," the ministry said on X.

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched a war in Ukraine in February 2022.

Türkiye previously approved Finland's membership to NATO but had said it was waiting for Sweden to abide by a trilateral memorandum signed in June 2022 in Madrid to address Ankara's security concerns.

Turkish leaders, including Erdogan, have repeatedly stressed that Sweden's possible NATO accession is at the discretion of the Turkish parliament.

All members of NATO – including Türkiye, a member of over 70 years standing – must approve any new members of the alliance.