Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey will start the process of ratifying Finland’s accession to NATO, paving the way for Finland to join the military bloc ahead of Sweden.
Erdogan announced the decision after meeting with Finnish President Niinisto in Ankara on the 17th. Finland will not be able to join NATO without Erdogan’s approval, as new members need the unanimous consent of NATO members.
Sweden and Finland jointly submitted their application to join NATO in Brussels last May following Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine, reversing their longstanding policy of non-alignment.
The Turkish government has accused Sweden and Finland of being too soft on what it calls “terrorist” groups, but has expressed more reservations about Sweden.
Erdogan told a news conference that “we have seen real and concrete steps taken by Finland in fulfilling its commitments in the tripartite memorandum of understanding,” referring to the agreement signed by Finland, Sweden and Turkey last June. A deal to pave the way for the two Nordic countries to join the military alliance.
“Based on the sensitivity of this to our national security and the progress made in the protocol on Finland’s application to join NATO, we have decided to initiate the ratification process in our parliament,” Erdogan said.
After Erdogan gave the green light, Finland’s application for membership may now be brought to Turkey’s parliament, where President Erdogan’s party and its allies hold a majority. The application is expected to be approved ahead of Turkey’s planned presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14 this year.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent, reporting from Ankara, said the statement marked a shift in NATO’s stance on the matter. “So far, NATO has insisted that Finland and Sweden must be granted access at the same time,” the reporter said. “NATO seems to have changed this position.”
Before his arrival in Ankara on Thursday, Niinistö said Turkish officials had asked him to visit Ankara to announce Turkey’s decision on Finland’s membership application.
“I have known Erdogan for a long time. I believe he has some important information,” Niinisto said during a visit to Kahramanmaras. It should be pointed out that Kahramanmaras is one of the Turkish provinces hit hardest by the 7.8-magnitude and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes on February 6 this year.
He also highlighted his support for Sweden’s swift entry into NATO, saying in a tweet that he had had a “very good conversation” with Swedish Prime Minister Christosson before heading to Turkey.
Kristensson said Sweden hoped for “fast approval” after Turkey’s general election.
U.S. national security adviser Jack Sullivan also welcomed the declaration, saying Washington “looks forward to a swift outcome of the process.”
The US also encouraged Turkey to “approve Sweden’s membership in NATO as soon as possible”, he added.
At the same time, he also called on Hungary, where the official approval process is also stalled, to complete the relevant approval process “without delay”.
Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed an agreement in June last year to resolve differences between the three countries over the two Nordic countries’ membership in NATO.
The agreement includes provisions addressing Turkey’s claims that Finland and Sweden are not taking seriously enough what Ankara considers “terrorists,” especially supporters of the PKK, and the 2016 massacre in Ankara. people associated with the attempted coup. It should be pointed out that the armed movement carried out by the “PKK” in Turkey has lasted for 39 years.
Sweden, however, angered Erdogan this year by allowing a far-right politician to stage a protest in front of the Turkish embassy and burn a copy of the Koran there. Erdogan later said he would never support NATO membership for countries that allow “blasphemy”.
Erdogan emphasized, “If you don’t respect the religious beliefs of Turkey or Muslims, then you will not get any support from us to join NATO.”