Turkish parliament has approved Finland's NATO membership, but has left Sweden out

olumorocktv

Mar 31

Finland has moved one step closer to joining Nato after the Turkish Parliament ratified the country's membership.

The Nordic nation had been 'neutral' on the world stage until the war in Ukraine broke out.

Finland then hurried to join NATO alongside Sweden in response to rising Russian aggressiveness.

The Kremlin earlier declared that the impending action was "clearly" a threat and that "retaliatory steps" will be taken in response.

This evening, Turkey's parliament ratified Finland's application to join Nato, lifting the last hurdle in the way of the nation's long-delayed accession into the Western military alliance.

All 276 lawmakers present voted in favour of Finland's bid, days after Hungary's parliament also endorsed Helsinki's accession.

The path is now clear for Finland to join Nato as its 31st member.

Sweden's bid to join the alliance, meanwhile, has been left hanging, with both Turkey and Hungary holding out on giving it the green light.

KYIV, UKRAINE - MARCH 10: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY ?? MANDATORY CREDIT - 'UKRAINIAN PRESIDENCY / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (F-L) and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (F-R) attend the funeral of Ukrainian soldier Dmytro Kotsiubaylo, who was awarded the Hero of Ukraine award by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2021, in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 10, 2023. Kotsiubaylo was killed in battle in Bakhmut on March 7. (Photo by Ukrainian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attend the funeral of Ukrainian soldier Dmytro Kotsiubaylo (Picture: Getty Images)

Finland and its neighboring Sweden had abandoned their decades-long nonalignment policy and applied to join the alliance after being alarmed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year prior.

Full unanimity is required to admit new members into the 30-member alliance, and Turkey and Hungary were the last two Nato members to ratify Finland's accession.

Turkey's government accuses Sweden of being too lenient toward groups it deems to be terrorist organizations and security threats, including militant Kurdish groups and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt.

Recent protests in Sweden, including one when an anti-Islam protester set fire to the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy, incensed Turkey.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - JANUARY 21: Rasmus Paludan burns the Koran outside of the Turkish embassy on January 21, 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden. Swedish authorities granted permission to a series of protests for and against Turkey amid the bid to join NATO, with far-right Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan - a controversial figure in Sweden - set to stage a Koran burning outside the Turkish embassy, as well as pro-Erdogan and pro-Kurdish groups protesting simultaneously. (Photo by Jonas Gratzer/Getty Images)

Rasmus Paludan burns the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Sweden (Picture: Jonas Gratzer/Getty Images)

Turkish authorities claim that, in contrast to Sweden, Finland upheld its end of a memorandum they signed last year promising to address Turkey's security concerns.

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