Turkish parliamentary committee delays decision on Sweden's NATO membership bid
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee on Thursday opened debate on Sweden’s bid to join NATO, but adjourned the proceedings until a later date without reaching a decision. The meeting was adjourned after legislators from Erdogan’s ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement on grounds that negotiations with Sweden had not “matured” enough, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his objection to Sweden’s bid during a NATO summit in July and sent the accession protocol to Parliament for ratification last month. Earlier on Thursday, Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar briefed committee members on steps Sweden had taken to meet Turkey’s security demands, saying Kurdish militants were no longer able to find a “comfortable space for movement in Sweden,” Anadolu said.