NATO Chief Stoltenberg expects Sweden's membership in November

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has issued a letter to member nations, hinting at Sweden's formal entry into the alliance, following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's signing of the NATO Accession Protocol with Sweden. The target date for Sweden's membership is set for November, with a specific focus on the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on November 28-29.

On Monday, the Presidency of Communications of Turkey announced President Erdogan's signing of the NATO Accession Protocol for Sweden, stating, "The NATO Accession Protocol for Sweden, signed by our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on October 23, 2023, has been submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey." However, the parliamentary processes in Turkey and Hungary are yet to be completed for Sweden's NATO membership.

The exact timing of the Swedish NATO Accession Protocol's consideration in the Turkish Parliament is currently uncertain but experts are highly confident that the Protocol will pass through without significant issues.

Sweden and Finland decided to abandon their military neutrality stance in May 2022, officially applying to join NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While Finland successfully joined NATO on April 4, 2023, as the alliance's 31st member, Sweden faced obstacles to its membership due to Turkey's objections.