Stoltenberg said: “I am satisfied with the Turkish National Assembly’s vote on the ratification of Finland’s NATO membership. All 30 NATO allies have now ratified the accession protocol.”
“And I have just spoken to President Sauli Niinistö to congratulate him on this historic occasion,” Stoltenberg said.
“Finland will formally join our alliance in the next few days. Membership will make Finland safer and NATO stronger. Finland has very strong forces, advanced capabilities and strong democratic institutions. So Finland brings a lot to our alliance,” NATO’s Secretary General said. .
He said: “Last year, all allies made a historic decision to invite Finland and Sweden to join our alliance. Since then, we have seen the fastest ratification process in NATO’s modern history. All allies agree that the ratification process will be completed quickly for Sweden. It is in everyone’s interests. I look forward to that as well.” that I can welcome Sweden as a full member of the NATO family as soon as possible.”
On March 30, the Turkish parliament voted all the way in favor of Finland’s application to join NATO, removing the last hurdle in the accession process, while still preventing Sweden from joining the military alliance.
According to a CNN report, Ankara’s voice fills the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoganthe “promise” to allow Finland to join the military alliance.
Turkey was the last NATO member to accept Finland’s accession. After the vote, the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö said his country is “ready to join NATO.” He further said: “All 30 NATO member countries have now ratified Finland’s membership. I want to thank each of them for their trust and support,” according to a CNN report.
Niinistö emphasized that “Finland will be a strong and capable ally, committed to the security of the alliance”. According to a news report, he said: “We look forward to welcoming Sweden to join us as soon as possible.”
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg was satisfied with Turkey’s decision. Stoltenberg said on his official Twitter handle: “I welcome the vote of #Turkey’s Grand National Assembly to complete the ratification of #Finland’s accession. This will make the whole #NATO family stronger and safer.”
Finland and Sweden had submitted applications to join NATO in 2022. Most of the NATO member states, with the exception of Turkey and Hungary, welcomed the applications of the two Nordic countries.
Turkish President Erdogan accused Finland and Sweden of harboring Kurdish “terrorist organizations”. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán said that Finland and Sweden are spreading “blatant lies” about his country’s rule of law history, according to a CNN report.
Later, the states softened their stance on Finland’s accession. However, Hungary and Turkey are still opposed to Sweden joining NATO.
On Monday, the Hungarian Parliament voted 182 to six in favor of Finland’s application. On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Hungarian government Zoltan Kovacs said there are “a lot of issues that need to be addressed” before Hungary accepts Sweden’s application to NATO.
HT
Source: ANI
Source: The Nordic Page