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- By Frank Gardner, Security Correspondent, Adam Durbin
- BBC news
Finland will become the 31st NATO member after the Turkish parliament votes to approve the application.
Turkey has postponed Finland’s participation in the Western defense alliance for several months, complaining that the Nordic country is supporting “terrorists”.
Sweden, which simultaneously applied to join NATO last May, is still blocked by the Turkish government over similar complaints.
Expansion of NATO requires the support of all members.
Finland will be formally admitted to NATO at the next summit in Lithuania in July.
In a statement after Turkey’s vote, the Finnish government said joining the alliance would strengthen national security and improve regional stability and security.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin tweeted: “As allies we give and receive security. We protect each other. Finland stands with Sweden now and in the future and supports its application.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved Finland’s bid earlier this month, praising the country’s “genuine and concrete steps” on Turkey’s security.
But his continued animosity towards Sweden was evident – he again accused Sweden of accepting Kurdish extremists and allowing them to demonstrate in the streets of Stockholm.
Ankara’s decision to ratify Finland’s accession paves the way for one of the most important moments in NATO’s recent history.
Finland, a country with a 1,340 km (832 mi) border with Russia and one of Western Europe’s most powerful artillery arsenals, has declared neutrality in response to Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. Throw away and join an alliance.
Sweden, too, has abandoned its longstanding promise to remain neutral when applying for NATO membership, but unlike its neighbors, it does not share a border with Russia.
One of NATO’s founding principles is the principle of collective defense. In other words, an attack on one member state is treated as an attack on all countries.
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, Finland’s accession is a major strategic setback.
He sent troops to Ukraine last year in hopes of curbing NATO expansion and undermining the West. In fact it achieved the exact opposite.
Finland is now set to become the seventh NATO country in the Baltic Sea, with the small enclaves of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad further isolating Russia’s coastal access.
Russia’s foreign ministry earlier accused Finland’s decision of being negligent and based on Russophobic hysteria.
However, Finnish public opinion changed radically with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last spring, almost overnight, support for the NATO member country jumped from her one-third overwhelming Finns to almost 80%.
Finland simply believes that joining the alliance will increase its chances of not being attacked by Russia.
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