Turkey is expected to send the final instrument of ratification for Sweden’s NATO membership to Washington as early as Friday, in a move that Turkish and U.S. leaders say clears the way to Ankara’s purchase of U.S. F-16 fighter jets.
President Tayyip Erdogan signed off Sweden’s membership on Thursday after parliament endorsed it on Tuesday, ending 20 months of delays.
Under NATO rules, the final document in the process – the instrument of ratification – needs to be deposited in the U.S. State Department archives in Washington.
A person familiar with the issue said that may happen on Friday, marking the last step in a process that began in 2022.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States welcomed Erdogan’s approval, while British Foreign Secretary David Cameron told Reuters he was “delighted” by the decision.
“We look forward to receiving the instruments in Washington and welcoming Sweden as NATO’s 32nd Ally,” Blinken said on X.
Turkey’s backing, long seen as the main obstacle in securing Sweden’s accession into the western military alliance, leaves Hungary as the only member yet to ratify the Swedish bid.
Both Erdogan and U.S. lawmakers had previously linked Ankara’s final approval of Sweden to the $20 billion sale of Lockheed Martin LMT.N F-16s and modernization kits to Turkey.
Shortly after the Turkish parliament’s vote, U.S. President Joe Biden sent a letter to leaders of key Capitol Hill committees to inform them of his intention to begin the formal notification process for the F-16 sale once Ankara completes Sweden’s NATO accession process.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Erdogan said Turkey was now awaiting the U.S. move on the F-16 sale and the Congress should respond to Biden’s letter “as soon as possible”.
“We are waiting for this. Of course, the outcome that will come from there as soon as possible will allow us, God willing, to start the process of the F-16s being sent to Turkey, as well as all the repair, maintenance matters,” he said.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Blinken were in close contact and managing the process, Erdogan said.
The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey told Reuters on Thursday that he expected Washington to take rapid steps toward U.S. Congress endorsement of the sale, with the State Department sending the formal notification to Congress immediately.
(Reuters)