The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after several months of blockade, has given approval for Finland's membership in NATO, but without Sweden. During a visit by Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Erdogan gave the green light for this step. Erdogan said in Ankara that he will start the procedure for ratification in the parliament.
Finland's accession could be ratified before Turkey's elections on May 14. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership ten months ago under the shadow of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. 28 of the 30 member countries of the alliance have ratified the accession protocols, only Hungary and Turkey have not yet taken this step.
Ankara blocked the memberships, among other things, referring to the insufficient fight against "terrorist organizations" in the aspiring countries for membership. By this, Turkey mainly refers to the Kurdish Labor Party, which is banned and declared by Ankara as a terrorist organization. The reserves are mainly related to Sweden, where supporters of this party are sheltered.
That Erdogan would accept Finland before Sweden was increasingly predicted in the northern European countries. The Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, on Wednesday (16.03.2023) during a visit to Berlin in a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said that his country was prepared for this option, although he would have preferred to join simultaneously with Finland.
