Prime Ministers of Sweden

At the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Sweden's national flag was raised today, marking the country's official accession as the 32nd member of the powerful military alliance. After nearly two centuries of steadfast neutrality, Sweden's decision to align itself with NATO underscores a seismic shift in its security strategy and geopolitical stance.

The Hungarian Parliament could not vote today in an emergency session on the ratification of the agreement on Sweden's membership in NATO due to the lack of a quorum, announced the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Sandor Lezak.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson discussed Sweden's NATO membership process, the fight against terrorism, bilateral relations, and regional and global issues in a phone call on Friday, the Communications Directorate said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has officially approved Sweden's entry into NATO with a formal decree, capping off a process that began with parliamentary approval for the Nordic country's bid.

"With this, a key milestone has been reached in Sweden's path towards NATO membership," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on X, welcoming Türkiye's move.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said it is gratifying that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has submitted a bill approving the Nordic country's NATO membership bid to Turkey's parliament for ratification.

Sweden applied last year to join the defense alliance but Turkey and Hungary have yet to approve the bid.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L), Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (R) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (C) ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE/Henrik Montgomery

Türkiye agreed on July 10 to allow Sweden to join NATO, setting the stage for the allies to showcase their unity at a summit focused on supporting Ukraine against Russia's invasion.

US President Joe Biden will host Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson next week to talk about transatlantic security cooperation and the war in Ukraine, the White House said Saturday.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven replaced two ministers on Thursday in a scandal over the leaking of sensitive data, trying to contain the damage and stave off an early election.

Serkan Demirtaş serkan.demirtas@hdn.com.tr Revising Internet policies and continuing necessary economic and political reforms are in the interests of Turkey, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has suggested, stressing that the country’s only path forward is through Europe.