- Turkey approves Finland's NATO membership application
- The announcement leaves Sweden behind to address the concerns raised by Ankara
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renews criticism of Sweden's alleged support of Kurdish militants
The Turkish government finally approved Finland's membership application to NATO, paving the way for the final stretches of the process, leaving Sweden by itself to address concerns raised by Ankara.
The announcement ended several months of delays as Turkey argued that it had concerns over the two Nordic countries joining the global military alliance. The Turkish Parliament unanimously voted to support Finland's NATO bid on Thursday.
Turkey Approves Finland's NATO Bid
The development is the culmination of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "promise" that he would allow Finland to join the military alliance. Ankara was the last global power that is a part of NATO to approve Finland's accession, following Hungary's support on Monday.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto released a statement after Turkey's vote, saying that his country is now "ready to join NATO." He added that all 30 members of the military alliance have now ratified his country's membership, thanking them for their trust and support, as per CNN.
Niinisto also said they were looking forward to welcoming Sweden to join NATO as soon as possible once other members approve its application. In a statement, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also praised Turkey's decision.
For decades, the two Nordic countries have committed to non-alignment with NATO to prevent a potential provocation of Moscow. However, that situation fell apart when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February last year, forcing Finland and Sweden to re-evaluate their neutral stances.
While an overwhelming number of NATO members initially approved Finland's and Sweden's membership applications, Turkey was the sole holdout. Furthermore, Hungary later joined Ankara, installing the two Nordic countries' applications.
Claims of Sweden's Support for Kurdish Militants
According to BBC, Erdogan also renewed his criticism of Sweden, again accusing the country of embracing Kurdish militants and allowing the groups to demonstrate on the streets of Stockholm.
Turkey joined the military alliance in 1952 and owned the second-largest military in NATO, following the United States. The country's resentment toward Sweden focuses on Kurdish groups in the region that Ankara considers to be terrorists or affiliated with militants.
Ankara also condemned weapons embargoes that Finland, Sweden, and other EU countries put on Turkey over its targeting of the Kurdish militias in Syria. In January, as part of its efforts to appease Ankara, Finland lifted its nearly three-year-long arms embargo on Turkey.
However, diplomatic relations between Ankara and Stockholm remain in Limbo despite Erdogan's support of Finland's NATO bid. In early January, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that Turkey had confirmed that they had done what they were supposed to but wanted things they could not follow or did not want to give.
In response to Finland and Sweden's NATO application, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Kremlin officials warned of "consequences" if the two Nordic countries were approved. In early 2022, the Russian strongman cited Ukraine's desire to join the military alliance as the reason for its invasion, saying that it considers the expansion of NATO along Russia's borders unacceptable, said CNBC.
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