World

Turkish Parliament approves Finland’s NATO membership bid

The Turkish Parliament on Thursday voted unanimously in favour of Finland’s application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), clearing the last hurdle in the accession process, while also continuing to block Sweden from joining the military alliance, CNN reported.

The vote in the Parliament fulfils Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “promise” to allow Finland to become part of the military alliance, as per the news report. Turkey was the last NATO member to approve Finland’s accession.
Following the vote, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said his country is “ready to join NATO.” He further said, “All 30 NATO members have now ratified Finland’s membership. I want to thank every one of them for their trust and support,” according to CNN report.

Sauli Niinisto stressed that “Finland will be a strong and capable ally, committed to the security of the Alliance.” As per the news report, he said, “We look forward to welcoming Sweden to join us as soon as possible.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the decision of Turkey. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Stoltenberg stated, “I welcome the vote of the Grand National Assembly of #Turkiye to complete the ratification of #Finland’s accession. This will make the whole #NATO family stronger & safer.”

In 2022, Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join NATO. A majority of NATO members welcomed the applications of Finland and Sweden except for Turkey and Hungary.

Turkish President Erdogan accused Finland and Sweden of housing Kurdish “terrorist organizations.” Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Finland and Sweden were disseminating “outright lies” about his country’s rule of law record, as per the CNN report.

Later, the two nations softened their stance on Finland’s accession. However, Hungary and Turkey continue to remain opposed to Sweden becoming part of NATO.

On Monday, the Hungarian Parliament voted 182 to six in favour of Finland’s application. On Wednesday, Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs said there was “an ample amount of grievances that need to be addressed” before Sweden’s bid to join NATO would be approved by Hungary.

ANI

Ani service

Recent Posts

“Directly a message to the Chinese government,” say Dalai Lama’s followers after he leaves succession choice to Gaden Trust

Follower of the Dalai Lama expressed their elation at his statement that Gaden Phodrang Trust…

13 hours ago

Remain concerned about situation in East China Sea, South China Sea: Quad Foreign Ministers

The Foreign ministers of the Quad nations met in Washington, DC, on July 1 to…

20 hours ago

Buddhist Nechung’s oracle comes in form to bless Tibetan government in-exile ahead of Dalai Lama’s birthday

Ahead of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday celebration, the Tibetan Buddhist oracle, Nechung, comes in…

20 hours ago

Union Cabinet approves National Sports Policy 2025, says it will establish India as “formidable force in global sports”

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the National Sports…

1 day ago

Electricity and internet crisis disrupts life in PoJK’s Muzaffarabad

Residents of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) are grappling with ongoing disruptions in…

2 days ago

Pakistan: Karachi’s water crisis deepens as power outage halts key pumping station

Residents across Pakistan's Karachi continue to grapple with a worsening water shortage, as electricity supply…

2 days ago