The Finnish parliament approved this Wednesday in advance and with an overwhelming majority the entry into NATO, for which the ratification of Hungary and Turkey is essential.
Finnish deputies approved by 184 votes in favor and seven against a law allowing Finland’s entry into the Western military alliance.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden decided to turn the page on their policy of military non-alignment in force since the 1990s, heir to decades of neutrality, and applied to NATO in May 2022.
Finland had so far expressed its willingness to join with Sweden. But the difficulties that Stockholm faces with Turkey, culminating in a series of diplomatic incidents in January, turned the tide.
With elections on the 2nd of April on the near horizon, the government of outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin wanted to avoid any kind of political vacuum in order to be able to join Nato once it gets the deal from the Hungarians and the Turks.
(You may be interested in: The harsh winter without rain that is drying Europe / Mauricio Vargas)
The entry into NATO had the almost unanimous support of the Finnish parties, even those that were against the alliance before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Only a handful of deputies from the extreme left and extreme right voted against, citing, among other issues, the lack of guarantees that nuclear weapons would not be installed in the territory.
The approval of the Finnish law does not mean that the country automatically joins the military alliance. But at least it sets a clear timetable: after its adoption, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has a maximum of three months to sign it.
After the vote, it only remains for the Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö, to give his approval to the entry and for Hungary and Turkey to ratify it, the only two NATO member countries that have not yet done so.
Hungary has on several occasions postponed the parliamentary processing of Finland’s and Sweden’s application for membership of NATO, although in principle it is not opposed to it.
(You can read: What is known about the railway accident in Greece that already leaves 36 dead)
Instead, Turkey has blocked the ratification process until the two Nordic nations meet a series of conditions. included in the tripartite agreement signed in Madrid last June.
In that agreement, Helsinki and Stockholm agree to allow arms exports to Turkey, facilitate the extradition of suspected Kurdish terrorists, and go after terrorist organizations, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Currently, Ankara admits that Finland has advanced enough to give the green light to its entry into NATO, but maintains the veto on Sweden, which it accuses of not having complied with the agreement.
AFP and EFE
#Finlands #parliament #approves #large #majority #countrys #entry #NATO