Is Stockholm really already a step away from joining the Alliance?

“Erdoğan has of course sent the proposal to parliament, but unlike Finland’s accession, at the same time he has not asked for the matter to be dealt with as a priority,” points out Karol Wasilewski, of 4CF The Futures Literacy Company. “In addition, Ankara constantly stresses that the parliament is an independent body and will proceed with the law at its own pace. On the other hand, this leads one to conclude that it is not exactly speeding up the process.” Erdoğan’s party, the AKP, together with its coalition partners, holds 322 of the 600 votes in the Turkish parliament. The opposition has already expressed its support for Stockholm’s admission to Nato, so the threat of a refusal can only come from a change of mind by Prime Minister Erdoğan.

Sweden submitted its NATO accession application together with Finland on 18 May 2022, after Russia launched a full-scale war in Ukraine. Stockholm’s candidature was blocked for more than a year by Turkey’s demands and Hungary’s passivity. Currently, the two countries’ accession protocol is in the final stages of confirmation, but neither Ankara nor Budapest have specified when it will be finally ratified.

Watch the full video (in Polish).