Finland has received the green light to join NATO after Türkiye ratified the Nordic country's membership, becoming the final country in the 30-member Western military alliance to sign off.
All NATO members must vote unanimously to admit a new country into the alliance. The decision by the Turkish parliament followed Hungary's ratification of Finland's bid earlier in the week.
However, a few more steps and procedures are required before the northern European nation becomes the 31st full NATO member:
Step 1: Acceptance letters
Türkiye and Hungary will dispatch acceptance letters to the United States which is the depositary, or safekeeper, of NATO under the alliance's 1949 founding treaty.
The letters will be filed in the archives of the US State Department, which will notify NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that the conditions for inviting Finland to become a member were met.
Step 2: Invitation
NATO will send a letter signed by Stoltenberg inviting Finland to join the military alliance.
Step 3: Signatures
Finland will send its own acceptance document, signed by Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, to the US State Department.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto authorised Haavisto to sign the document. Either the Finnish Embassy in Washington or a Finnish government official will deliver the document.
Step 4: Full membership
Once Finland's membership acceptance document reaches the State Department in Washington, the country officially becomes a NATO member.
Finland-Sweden
Finland and neighbouring Sweden jointly applied for NATO membership in May 2022. The countries, which have close cultural, economic and political ties, planned to enter the alliance simultaneously.
Sweden’s bid, however, has stalled due to opposition from Türkiye. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would not ratify membership before Stockholm addresses Ankara's security concerns.
Hungary's parliament also has yet to ratify Sweden's accession to NATO, and it remains unclear when it will do so.
Source: TRTworld.com