TURKISH legislators endorsed Sweden's membership of Nato on Tuesday, lifting a major hurdle on the previously non-aligned country’s entry into the military alliance.

After more than a year of delays, lawmakers ratified Sweden's accession with ruling party members saying the Nordic country’s tougher stance on Kurdish separatists was key to winning approval. 

Turkey had been angered by a series of demonstrations by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Sweden, as well as a series of Koran-burning protests, and has called for European countries to suppress Kurdish voices in return for its support.

Hungary is now the only Nato ally not to ratify Sweden’s accession. But on Tuesday the Swedes rejected calls by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to negotiate over their bid to join the alliance.

After the Turkish vote Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country was now “one step closer to becoming a full member of Nato.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also previously linked the ratification to Turkey’s desire to buy fighter jets from the United States, insisting on the purchase of 40 new F-16s and kits. 

Influential US Congress members said they would not support the sale until Turkey signed off on Sweden’s Nato bid.

US administration officials say they expect relatively quick action on the F-16 sale after the ratification.