U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced on Saturday that Turkey appears ready to ratify Sweden's NATO membership in the coming weeks.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish parliament has approved the request last week, marking a significant step towards expanding the Western bloc after a 19-month delay. The next step is voting in the plenary session of the parliament.
Blinken raised Sweden's request during his meeting on Saturday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the first day of his week-long regional tour to discuss the conflict in Gaza.
The American minister told reporters in Greece, "We also talked in Turkey about the final steps in the ratification process for Sweden's accession to NATO in the coming weeks."
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met his American counterpart and confirmed Ankara's aspiration for Washington to decide on Turkey's purchase of F-16 fighters, clarifying that the final decision on Sweden's NATO membership comes down to the Turkish parliament.
Sweden submitted its request in 2022 following the war in Ukraine, but the Turkish president expressed objections to what he described as Stockholm's protection of individuals Ankara considers terrorists.
Conversely, American lawmakers have halted the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey until it agrees to Sweden's accession.
