ISTANBUL: Türkiye is expected to send the final instrument of ratification for Sweden’s NATO membership to Washington within days, now that President Tayyip Erdogan signed it off, in a move Ankara hopes will clear the way to its purchase of US F-16 fighter jets.
A source familiar with the issue said the document could be deposited as early as Friday (Jan 26), marking the last step in a process that began in 2022.
After 20 months of delay, Türkiye moved rapidly this week to ratify the Swedish bid, with parliamentary ratification coming on Tuesday and President Tayyip Erdogan signing off on the approval on Thursday.
As per formal NATO rules, the final document in the process – the instrument of ratification – needs to be deposited in the US State Department archives in Washington.
Türkiye’s backing, long seen as the main obstacle in securing Sweden’s accession into the western military alliance, leaves Hungary as the only ally in the military alliance yet to ratify the Swedish bid.
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