After Turkey’s approval Sweden Set to Become NATO Member

Sweden is set to become a NATO member after Turkey’s parliament has ratified its application.

Turkey under the Presidentship of Tayyip Erdogan did not approve the earlier application of Sweden first made in 2022.

• Under NATO’s membership all of its members should approve the application of countries to join an alliance.
• After Turkey's Parliament approval, Turkey’s President Erdoğan is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming days. 
• The Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Hjalmar Kristersson, mentioned this news by saying his country is one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO.
• NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, welcomed the vote and expected that Hungary would also ratify approval of Sweden to become a member.
• If Sweden becomes a member of NATO, the entire Baltic coastline, except for the Russian coast and its enclave Kaliningrad, would be under NATO's territory. 
• This would make it easier to defend the Baltic States in case of a Russian attack. Troops and equipment could be transported more efficiently by ship via Sweden to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was formed in 1949 with the aim of providing collective security against the Soviet Union. 
• The founding members were the United States, Canada and several Western European nations. The main and military headquarters of NATO are located in Brussels, Belgium.
• Since its establishment, NATO has welcomed new members nine times. 
• Most recently, Finland joined the alliance on April 4, 2023, exactly 74 years after its formation. 
• Sweden will be the 32nd member, following the acceptance of its application for membership. 
• Hungary is currently in the process of ratifying its Accession Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty.

Function of NATO

NATO is an organisation that promotes democratic values and facilitates consultations and cooperation among its members to address defence and security-related issues. Its primary goal is to prevent conflicts and build trust among nations. 

This is achieved through the collective defence clause of NATO's founding treaty - Article 5 of the Washington Treaty or under a United Nations mandate, either alone or in collaboration with other countries and international organisations.