Türkiye has approved the protocol on Sweden’s accession to NATO, according to a bill published by Resmi gazete, the official journal of the country’s government.

"It was deemed feasible to approve the ‘Protocol on the Kingdom of Sweden’s Participation in the North Atlantic Treaty,’ signed in Brussels on July 5, 2022. The bill comes into force on the day of the publication," the document says.

After being published by Türkiye’s official journal, the accession protocol is considered approved by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Earlier, the document was approved by the parliament.

Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022. As a NATO ally, Türkiye demanded that the Nordic country lift its embargo on defense exports to Ankara and pushed for cooperation in fighting terrorism. Despite a range of mutual complaints, the bill on the ratification of Sweden’s NATO bid was submitted to the Turkish parliament in October 2023.

The parliament passed the bill on January 23. A total of 346 lawmakers out of 600 took part in the vote. 287 of them voted in favor of the document, 55 were against, four abstained. A number of political factions refused to participate.