Turkey likely to ratify Finland's NATO bid before May elections
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So far, both Finland and Sweden received the backing of all NATO members - with the exception of Turkey and Hungary.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking at a press conference (AFP)
Turkey's parliament will highly likely ratify Finland's NATO accession bid before the May 14 elections, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) Ibrahim Aydin said as quoted by Sputnik.
"The protocol has already been submitted to parliament. In the next few days, the Foreign Policy Committee will do the necessary work, and then the matter will be presented to parliament for consideration. I think, the issue will be resolved before the elections," Aydin said.
This comes shortly after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey’s parliament will begin ratifying Finland's NATO bid.
One request vs. a long list of conditions
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 28, 2022
While #Turkey had a long list of conditions from #Finland and #Sweden, all the two Nordic states wanted was to join #NATO.
Here's your guide to understanding on what basis the agreement was made. pic.twitter.com/Aw7Jtu7frp
"We were forced to consider Finland's application separately, since there are no such manifestations of terrorism there as there are in Sweden... I have sent a note to the parliamentary commission, from there it will be forwarded to the General Assembly. I hope that the [ratification] process will be completed before the elections," Erdogan said.
On another note, Erdogan said the ratification of Sweden's membership in NATO will depend on Stockholm's future actions.
It seems that Finland faces fewer diplomatic challenges than Sweden, as per AFP.
Moreover, Finland is scheduled to hold elections in April. Therefore to avoid public opinion influencing membership, Finland will reportedly rush to effect that ascension before the start of the elections.
