Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would support Finland's bid to join NATO and will begin ratification immediately following a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
Erdogan announced in Ankara on Friday that without his country's approval, Finland would be unable to become a NATO ally due to a requirement of the alliance. Finland's application comes alongside Sweden's; both expressed their intent to join the alliance last May.
Turkey Supports Finland's NATO Bid
The two Nordic countries reversed their longstanding policy of military neutrality following Russia's unprecedented invasion of Ukraine. Following the applications, the Turkish government accused the two nations of being too soft on terrorist groups, but more reservations about Sweden were expressed.
During a news conference, Erdogan said they saw Finland taking authentic and concrete steps to address his country's demands. He was referring to an agreement signed by Helsinki, Stockholm, and Ankara in June, as per Aljazeera.
The Turkish president said they have decided to initiate the ratification process in their parliament for Finland's accession to NATO. Following Erdogan's remarks, Finland's NATO application could now go to the Turkish parliament, where the president's party and its allies currently have majority control.
The ratification process is expected to be conducted before Turkey holds presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14. One reporter, Resul Sardar, said that Erdogan's announcement suggested a sudden shift in NATO's approach to the situation.
He said that the military alliance has insisted that Finland and Sweden must access together. Before Niinisto's arrival on Thursday, he said that Turkish officials requested his presence in Ankara to announce Erdogan's decision on Finland's NATO application.
The Turkish president said he believed the military alliance would become stronger and more secure following Finland's membership. In response, President Niinisto said that hearing such remarks was "very good," according to CNN.
Blocking Sweden's NATO Application
Separately, Hungary's ruling party said they would also support Finland's NATO membership bid. The country's prime minister, Victor Orban, previously accused Finland and Sweden of spreading "outright lies" regarding his country's rule of law record.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in late February said that despite Turkey's expression of concerns regarding Finland and Sweden, its concerns were mainly over the latter. On the other hand, Niinisto pushed Turkey to reappraise Sweden's bid for NATO membership on Friday.
In a statement, the Finnish president said that his country's NATO membership would not be complete if Sweden were not by its side. However, Erdogan noted that his country's government would not change its stance on Sweden's bid unless "positive steps" were taken to address its concerns.
Turkey's opposition to Sweden's NATO membership centers around claims that the latter is harboring members of militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). This is a claim that Swedish authorities have denied.
The situation comes as, in January, far-right demonstrators burned a copy of the Quran and chanted anti-Muslim slogans in front of Turkey's embassy located in Stockholm, Sweden. In an immediate response, Ankara denounced the horrific act and the events that led to the approval of the demonstration, said CNBC.
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