Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey will begin the process of confirming Finland’s accession to NATO, paving the way for Finland to join the military bloc before Sweden.
Erdogan announced the decision after a 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 submitted their joint 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 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 request to join NATO, we have decided to start the ratification process in our parliament,” Erdogan said.
After Erdogan gave the green light, Finland’s application for membership may now be brought to the Turkish parliament, where President Erdogan’s party and its allies have a majority. The application is expected to be approved before the planned presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14 this year.
An Al Jazeera reporter, reporting from Ankara, said the statement marked a change in NATO’s stance on the matter. “Until now, NATO has insisted that Finland and Sweden must have access at the same time,” said the reporter. “It seems that NATO has changed this situation.”
Before his arrival in Ankara on Thursday, Niinistö said that 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,” said Niinisto during a visit to Kahramanmaras. It should be noted that Kahramanmaras is one of the Turkish provinces that was hit hardest by the magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes on February 6 this year.
He also highlighted his support for Sweden’s rapid entry into NATO, saying in a tweet that he had a “very good conversation” with Swedish Prime Minister Christosson before going to Turkey.
Kristensson said Sweden was hoping for a “quick approval” after Turkey’s general election.
US national security adviser Jack Sullivan also welcomed the statement, saying Washington “looks forward to a quick outcome of the process.”
The US also urged 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 has also been suspended, 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 membership of the two Nordic countries in NATO.
The agreement includes provisions that address Turkey’s claims that Finland and Sweden are not taking seriously enough what Ankara considers “terrorists,” particularly supporters of the PKK, and the 2016 massacre in Ankara, people linked to the coup attempt. It should be noted that the armed movement carried out by the “PKK” in Turkey 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 do not respect the religious beliefs of Turkey or Muslims, then you will not get any support from us to join NATO.”
