Turkey to decide on Sweden's NATO bid in line with its own interests: Erdogan

Ankara, July 14: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish lawmakers would make the right decision on Sweden's NATO bid in line with Turkey's interests, media reported.

"Our parliament will... make the right decision in line with the interests of our country," the Turkish President added on Thursday when returning from the NATO summit held in Lithuania's capital Vilnius on July 11-12.

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in February 2022. Turkey finally approved Finland's bid in March this year but has not yet ratified Sweden's, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Sweden's NATO membership was one of the issues highlighted in the context of the (NATO) summit. Our principled stance on this issue has been clear from the very beginning," Erdogan said.

Before attending the NATO summit, the Turkish President made a tough speech over Sweden's NATO bid, saying the EU should open a gate for Ankara's EU membership in return for Turkey's consent to Sweden's NATO membership.