According to CNN, the Turkish Parliament voted unanimously on Thursday to allow Finland to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which was the final step in the accession process. However, Turkey continues to block Sweden from joining the military alliance. This vote fulfils the promise made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to allow Finland to become a part of NATO.
Following the vote, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto expressed gratitude to all 30 NATO members for their trust and support and stressed that Finland will be a strong and committed ally to the security of the Alliance. Niinisto also expressed hope that Sweden will soon be able to join as well. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the decision by Turkey and tweeted that the completion of Finland's accession will make the entire NATO family stronger and safer.
Image Source: Twitter
In 2022, Finland and Sweden submitted their applications to join NATO, which were welcomed by most NATO members, except for Turkey and Hungary. President Erdogan had accused Finland and Sweden of supporting Kurdish "terrorist organizations," while Prime Minister Orban of Hungary had accused the two countries of spreading "outright lies" about his country's rule of law. Eventually, Turkey and Hungary softened their stances on Finland's accession, but Hungary continues to oppose Sweden's bid to join NATO. While the Hungarian Parliament voted in favour of Finland's application on Monday, the Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs stated on Wednesday that there were still grievances to be addressed before Sweden's bid could be approved.
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