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ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s parliament on Thursday approved a bill allowing Finland to join NATO, paving the way for the country to join the Western Defense Alliance as war rages in Ukraine.
The Turkish parliament was the last of the 30 members of the alliance to ratify Finnish membership after the Hungarian parliament approved a similar bill earlier this week.
President Tayyip Erdogan said in early March that Finland had secured Turkish recognition after taking concrete steps to keep promises to crack down on groups Turkey considers terrorists and release defense exports.
Finland and Sweden sought NATO membership last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, this process was postponed by Turkey and Hungary. Parliaments of all NATO member states must ratify the new entrants.
“NATO membership will strengthen Finland’s security and improve stability and security in the Baltic region and Northern Europe,” the Finnish government said after a vote in the Turkish parliament.
Turkey is still pending approval of Finland’s neighbor Sweden’s application for membership, but Turkey has said it has not done enough to crack down on people it considers terrorists. The three countries signed an agreement on the issue last year.
The Foreign Relations Committee of the Turkish parliament unanimously approved the Finnish bill last week. In Turkey, the legislative process was underway for parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14.
Finland’s membership is the first expansion since North Macedonia joined the alliance in 2020.
Turkey has repeatedly said Sweden needs to take additional measures against supporters of Kurdish militants and members of Turkish networks responsible for the 2016 coup attempt. Turkey treats both groups as terrorist organizations.
Negotiations between Sweden and Turkey have made little progress, especially after some disputes over street protests by pro-Kurdish groups in Stockholm.
The US State Department said it welcomed Turkey’s ratification of Finland and encouraged Sweden to quickly ratify its accession as well.
[1/2] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during a welcoming ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, March 17, 2023. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
“Both Sweden and Finland are strong and capable partners who share NATO values and will strengthen our alliance and contribute to European security,” said a State Department spokeswoman.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said shortly after Turkey’s vote that “Finland now and in the future supports Sweden and supports its application.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he urged Turkey and Hungary to ratify both applications. Hungary has not yet scheduled a vote on the Swedish bid.
what’s next?
NATO members, including the United States, want the two Nordic countries to join the NATO summit on July 11 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Two Turkish parliamentary ratifications of Finland’s NATO membership will be approved by President Tayyip Erdogan and published in the country’s official gazette.
Finland has already completed its own legal ratification process in anticipation of Sunday’s scheduled parliamentary elections and the adjournment of the corresponding elections that could otherwise delay the process by months.
Having completed the ratification process, Turkey and Hungary must send their approval documents to the US government in Washington, the NATO Depository under the treaty creating the alliance.
Stoltenberg will then formally invite Finland to join NATO.
As a final step, Finland will submit to the US government an “accession instrument”, a document signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Finnish government said.
Once Finland’s accession instrument reaches the US State Department, the Nordic countries will officially become members of NATO.
Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Mert Ozkan. Edited by Alistair Bell and Stephen Coates
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