Türkiye delays decision on Sweden's NATO membership bid

The Turkish Parliament's foreign affairs committee on Thursday opened debate on Sweden's bid to join NATO, but adjourned the proceedings until a later date without reaching a decision.

It was not immediately known when the committee would resume its discussions on Sweden's accession protocol or when it would reach Parliament's general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process.

The meeting was adjourned after legislators from Erdogan's ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement on grounds that some issues needed clarification and that negotiations with Sweden had not "matured" enough.

Committee chairman Fuat Oktay later told reporters that the Swedish ambassador may be invited to the next session to provide further information on steps his country has taken to address Türkiye's security concerns.

Türkiye has stalled ratifying Sweden's membership in NATO, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including terrorist organizations of PKK and FETÖ members that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Türkiye has also been angered by a series of demonstrations by supporters of the outlawed PKK in Sweden as well as Quran-burning protests that roiled Muslim countries.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his objection to Sweden's bid during a NATO summit in July and sent the accession protocol to Parliament for ratification last month. Türkiye's reversal of its position came after Stockholm pledged deeper cooperation with Türkiye on counterterrorism and to support Türkiye's ambition to revive its EU membership bid. In addition, NATO agreed to establish a special coordinator for counterterrorism.

Earlier this week, Turkish Parliament...