Turkey has told Sweden it expects to ratify its accession to the NATO military alliance within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister said on Wednesday, offering a potential timeframe for expanding the Western bloc after 18 months of delays.

Turkey's parliament opened a long-delayed debate Thursday on Sweden's NATO aspirations that could strengthen Ankara's ties with Western allies despite its fury over Israel's war with Hamas. He has also warned that a broader "cross and crescent" war was breaking out between Israel's mostly Christian Western allies and the Muslim world.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told NATO counterparts on Tuesday he was working hard on Sweden's NATO ratification which is currently being debated by the Turkish parliament and provided a likely timeline of before year-end for the Nordic country to formally join the alliance,

The Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee has opened a debate on Sweden's bid to join NATO but adjourned proceedings without a decision.

Turkey has told Sweden it expects to ratify its accession to the NATO military alliance within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister has said

The latter became an official member in April 2023, but Sweden has been kept waiting by member nations Hungary and Turkey. During a NATO summit in July, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to let Sweden into the alliance.

Türkiye has reportedly informed Sweden about plans to approve the country's application to join the North Atlantic Alliance within the next few weeks, says the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. "I had a bilateral with my colleague,