Turkish parliament ratifies Finland’s NATO membership, keeps Sweden waiting

 

After months of delay, Turkey's parliament has approved Finland's bid to join NATO, making it the 31st member of the military alliance. 

The Finnish government sees joining NATO as a way to improve security and stability in the region, with an attack on one member being treated as an attack on all. 

Sweden has also applied to join NATO, but is still being blocked by Turkey. Finland's approval is a strategic setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched a special military operation in Ukraine to check NATO's expansion, but has achieved the opposite.

Finland, which shares a border with Russia, abandoned its neutrality and applied to join NATO in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Support for joining NATO in Finland has climbed from one-third of the population to almost 80% in a short period of time.