Turkey approves Sweden's NATO membership bid

The news: Turkish MPs have approved Sweden's NATO membership bid, paving the way for the previously non-aligned country's entry into the military alliance.

The numbers: The legislators ratified Sweden's accession protocol by 287 votes to 55, with four abstentions. Sweden's bid was first made 20 months ago in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The context: Turkey had been delaying Sweden's membership for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient towards groups that Ankara regards as security threats. It has been seeking concessions from Stockholm, including a tougher stance toward Kurdish militants militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016. Turkey had also been angered by a series of demonstrations by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party in Sweden as well as Koran-burning protests.

Turkey's president Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to sign the legislation into law within days, leaving Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orbán has close ties with Russia's Vladimir Putin, as the only NATO ally not to have ratified Sweden's accession.