The Turkish Parliament�s foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden�s bid to join NATO on Tuesday, drawing the previously non-aligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance.

Sweden�s accession protocol will now need to be approved in the general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkey. No date has been set.

Turkey, a NATO member, has delayed ratifying Sweden�s application for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month threw up another obstacle by openly linking ratification of Sweden�s NATO membership to the U.S. Congress� approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize Turkey�s existing fleet.

Erdogan also also called on Canada and other NATO allies to life arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.

The White House has backed the Turkish F-16 request but there is strong opposition in Congress to military sales to Turkey.

The Turkish parliament�s foreign affairs committee had begun discussing Sweden�s membership in NATO last month. The meeting however, was adjourned after legislators from Erdogan�s ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement on grounds that some issues needed more clarification and that negotiations with Sweden had not �matured� enough.

On Tuesday, a majority of legislators in the committee voted in favor of Sweden’s application to join.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO�s security umbrella, following Russia�s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATO�s 31st member, after Turkey�s parliament ratified the Nordic country�s bid.

NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have been holding out. Hungary has stalled Sweden�s bid, alleging that Swedish politicians have told �blatant lies� about the condition of Hungary�s democracy.

The delays have frustrated other NATO allies who were swift to accept Sweden and Finland into the alliance.

(AP)