ANKARA, Jan 23, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Turkey's parliament is expected to end
more than a year of delays that severely strained its ties with Western
allies and approve Sweden's membership of NATO this week.

CNN Turk said a vote could be take place as early as Tuesday while a source
told AFP that it might be held on Thursday.

Turkey's ratification would leave Hungary as the last holdout in an accession
process that Sweden and its neighbour Finland began in response to Russia's
invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.

Finland became the 31st member of the US-led defence alliance last April.

Its membership roughly doubled the length of NATO's border with Russia and
substantially strengthened the defences of three tiny Baltic nations that
joined the bloc following the Soviet Union's collapse.

Sweden and Finland pursued a policy of military non-alignment during the Cold
War era confrontation between Moscow and Washington.

But Russia's invasion of its western neighbour set off Europe's biggest and
most brutal land battle since World War II, upturning geopolitical
calculations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's resistance to Sweden's NATO
accession reflected his more nuanced stance toward Moscow.

Turkey has profited from maintaining -- and even expanding -- trade with
Russia while at the same time supplying Ukraine with drones and other
essential arms.

Erdogan has also been one of the few Western leaders to hold regular meetings
and phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Turkish media reported that Putin could make his first wartime visit to
Turkey next month.

- US fighter jets -

Erdogan's objections to Sweden's bid initially focused on Stockholm's
perceived acceptance of Kurdish groups that Ankara views as "terrorist".

Sweden has responded by tightening its anti-terrorism legislation and tacking
other security steps demanded by Erdogan.

The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee approved the Swedish bid
last month.

But Erdogan has since demanded that Washington follow through on its pledge
to deliver a batch of F-16 fighter jets for Turkey's ageing air force.

Erdogan last month discussed his demands by telephone with US President Joe
Biden.

US officials argued that Turkey's request could win the required
congressional approval if Sweden's NATO accession goes through -- a position
reaffirmed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Istanbul
this month.

"We have not parsed words about how ready we are for Sweden to formally join
the alliance," deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said after news
emerged that Turkey was finally ready to ratify the Swedish candidacy.

"We have long felt that (Sweden) has met its commitment and we look forward
to this process moving forward."

Some analysts additionally linked Turkey's continued delays to Erdogan's
anger at Washington for its support of how Israel is pursuing its war against
Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan has turned into one of the Muslim world's harshest critics of the
scale of death and destruction unleashed by Israel in response to the
militants' unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel.