Turkish Parliament to discuss Sweden's NATO bid next week

Ankara, Dec 23 (IANS) Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has said that it would discuss Sweden's NATO bid next week.

The committee said on Friday in a statement that the review of the bid is scheduled for December 26, Xinhua news agency reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed Sweden's NATO accession protocol and submitted it to the Parliament in October.

For ratification, the bill needs to be approved by the commission before being put to a full Parliament vote.

After Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland submitted applications to join NATO in May.

Turkey approved Finland's membership to NATO in March but has slow-walked Sweden's accession, demanding the Nordic country to further address Ankara's security concerns.