Turkey’s approval could pave the way for Finland’s NATO membership

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has expanded eight times since its establishment in 1949, with the addition of 14 countries after the fall of the USSR, including the former Warsaw Pact and post-Soviet countries.

Currently, Finland, Sweden, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are candidates for membership, while North Macedonia joined the alliance in 2020.

The accession process for Sweden was halted earlier due to anti-Turkish protests and the burning of the Koran in Stockholm.

Ankara had requested the suspension, and until now, only Turkey and Hungary had not given official approval for the membership of Finland and Sweden.

However, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has now announced that he expects the ratification of Finland’s NATO accession to be completed before the country’s upcoming elections on May 14.

This development could pave the way for Finland’s entry into the alliance and bring them closer to the other 30 member countries in NATO’s collective defense system.