Turkey’s parliament on Thursday approved Finland’s application to join NATO, lifting the final hurdle in the Nordic country’s path. Long delayed joining In the Western military alliance.
The 276 lawmakers present voted in favor of Finland’s bid, days after Hungary’s parliament also backed Helsinki’s accession.
alarmed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine A year ago, Finland and Sweden abandoned their decades-long policy of deregulation and applied to join the alliance.
Admitting new members to the 30-member alliance requires full unanimity, and Turkey and Hungary were the last two NATO members to approve Finland’s accession.
Hakan Nural/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Sweden’s bid to join the alliance hangs in the balance, with both Turkey and Hungary holding out on giving it the green light despite expressing support for NATO expansion.
The Turkish government has accused Sweden of being too leniency towards terrorist organizations and groups it considers a security threat, including militant Kurdish groups and those involved in the 2016 coup attempt.
Most recently, Turkey was angered by a series of protests in Sweden, including a protest by an anti-Islam activist who burned a Quran outside the Turkish embassy.
The Hungarian government claims that some Swedish politicians have made ludicrous statements about the state of Hungary’s democracy and played an active role in ensuring billions in European Union funding were frozen for alleged violations of the rule of law and democracy.
Turkish officials have said that unlike Sweden, Finland has met its obligations under a memorandum signed last year under which the two countries pledged to address Turkey’s security concerns.
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