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.”