This decision comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his country's desire for progress on NATO expansion alongside Turkey's request to purchase F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits from the United States.

President Erdogan's previous denial of any connection between the NATO bid and the procurement of military equipment was reversed when he stated last week that simultaneous progress on both issues was sought. Ankara's exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet consortium in 2019, due to its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, prompted Turkey to allocate $20 billion to upgrade its military aircraft. While the Biden administration has publicly supported the sale, the formal notification to Congress for review has not yet been submitted by the State Department.

The purchase of F-16s does not require congressional approval, but US lawmakers possess the right to veto the sale within 30 days of review. Several high-ranking members of Congress have voiced their intention to block the sale unless Turkey implements key foreign policy reforms, such as improving relations with Greece and distancing itself from Russia.

The Turkish Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee had previously postponed the vote on Sweden's NATO bid but decided to move forward after a phone call between President Erdogan and US President Joe Biden. With Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, the Biden administration considers NATO expansion a crucial foreign policy priority. Currently, Hungary and Turkey are the only two countries that have not granted approval to Sweden's bid.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their historical non-aligned status and applied to join NATO in May 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both Nordic countries have taken steps to facilitate the process, including lifting de-facto defense embargoes against Turkey. Finland became a member of NATO in April, while Sweden's bid remains pending due to objections from Ankara.

To address Turkey's concerns regarding national security threats, Sweden made amendments to its constitution and counterterrorism law in November 2022. These efforts were aimed at convincing Ankara to withdraw its objections and facilitate Sweden's NATO membership.

The Turkish Parliament will now proceed to vote on Sweden's NATO accession protocol after Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus schedules a debate on the matter. The timeline for this vote has yet to be determined.