Erdogan Says Yes, but Not So Fast, to Sweden’s NATO Bid

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on Wednesday tempered the expectation that his expression of support this week for Sweden joining NATO meant that he would swiftly push the approval through the Turkish parliament.

In his first public comments on the issue since NATO announced his support for the proposal on Monday, Mr. Erdogan said that the final decision rested with the parliament and that Sweden needed to take more steps to win parliamentary support, without giving specifics. He also said parliament would not take up the matter until October, even though it is in session until July 27.

Mr. Erdogan’s remarks, hinting that Sweden’s accession may not be a done deal, were bound to disappoint many of his NATO allies, who had hoped that Mr. Erdogan’s use of the issue to win concessions for Turkey over the past year had finally come to an end. Mr. Erdogan also said that Sweden needed to continue working to address Turkey’s security concerns, suggesting that he was not yet ready to give up his leverage.