ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Turkiye formally ratifies Sweden's NATO membership, leaving Hungary as only ally yet to endorse it

Turkish lawmakers vote in favour of Sweden's bid to join NATO at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ali Unal) Turkish lawmakers vote in favour of Sweden's bid to join NATO at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ali Unal)
Share
ANKARA, Turkiye -

Turkiye published a measure approving Sweden's membership in NATO in its official gazette on Thursday, finalizing the ratification that brings the previously nonaligned country a step closer to joining the military alliance.

Hungary now remains the only NATO ally not to have ratified Sweden's accession.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed the ratification, saying on X, formerly known as Twitter: "With this, a key milestone has been reached in Sweden's path towards NATO membership."

Turkiye's parliament endorsed Sweden's accession in a vote held Tuesday. The ruling party said the Nordic country's tougher stance on Kurdish militants was key to winning approval.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also had linked the ratification to Turkiye's desire to buy fighter jets from the United States.

NATO-member Turkiye had delayed Sweden's membership for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as security threats. It sought concessions from Stockholm, including moves to counter militants.

Turkiye also had been angered by a series of demonstrations by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in Sweden as well as Quran-burning protests that roiled Muslim countries.

Erdogan has linked 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 Turkiye's existing fleet. He has also urged Canada and other NATO allies to lift arms embargoes on Turkiye.

U.S. administration officials have said they expect relatively quick action on the F-16 sale after Turkiye's ratification.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.

B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.