- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “We have decided to start the ratification of Finland’s NATO accession process in our parliament.”
- In May, Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join the military alliance.
- They decided to end their policy of neutrality and military disengagement in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan
Murat Cetinmuhurdar Reuters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday approved Finland’s accession to NATO after months of talks, but added that talks with Sweden will continue.
“We have decided to start the ratification of Finland’s accession process to NATO in our parliament,” Erdogan said in Ankara, according to a Reuters translation, when he met his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto.
Erdogan added that he hoped the Turkish parliament would approve Finland’s bid before the May 14 elections.
In May, Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join the military alliance. They decided to end their policy of neutrality and military disengagement in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But the process of joining NATO has not been as smooth as some had expected, especially as Ankara demanded more security guarantees from Sweden.
As of 2022, NATO has expanded to include three former Soviet states and all former Warsaw Pact countries.
Bryn Bache | CNBC
Friday’s announcement paves the way for Finland to join NATO in the coming months. Hungary is the only other member of the 30 NATO countries that has yet to approve Helsinki’s membership, although Hungary’s ruling party said on Friday it would support Finland in a March 27 vote.
Friday’s developments leave Stockholm a bit behind in the process.
Turkey’s opposition to Swedish NATO membership revolves around what, it says, is their home to Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.
In January, far-right protesters burned a Quran and chanted anti-Muslim slogans in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. Ankara immediately denounced the act, as well as Sweden’s granting of a permit to the right-wing group to hold the demonstration.
At a NATO meeting in Madrid in June 2022, Sweden, Finland and Turkey signed an agreement outlining a path to compromise, with Ankara calling for further anti-terrorism guarantees. Speaking to CNBC in February, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said his country had done its part to honor the agreement.
“It’s only a matter of time,” he said of joining the alliance, adding that he expects his country to be a full member in July.
Former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb downplayed concerns about Sweden lagging behind.
“Both Finland and Sweden will become NATO members by the July summit at the latest. The situation is stable. We are already de facto members,” he said on Twitter.
—Natasha Turak of CNBC contributed to this report.