Sweden edges closer to NATO after vote in Turkish parliamentary commission

Swedish and NATO flags are seen printed on paper this illustration taken April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

ANKARA (Reuters) - The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission approved Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday in a key step towards enlarging the Western bloc after 19 months of delays in which Ankara demanded security-related concessions from Stockholm.

The commission, controlled by President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, voted to back the bid - which Sweden made last year in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - after some four hours of debate, including talks on other matters. It had postponed a vote on the bid after an earlier debate on Nov. 16.