Finnish Parliament Approves Bill on Joining NATO
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HELSINKI (Sputnik) - The Finnish parliament has approved on Wednesday a bill submitted by the government on the country's accession to NATO, according to the broadcast.
The bill was approved by 184 votes, seven parliament members were absent, and one abstained.
The document will now need to be approved by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto to finalize the ratification of the country's application to NATO at the national level.
Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022 following the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine. By the end of 2022, their applications were ratified by 28 out of 30 NATO member states, with the exception of Hungary and Turkey.
The accession process came to a standstill in January 2023 following Quran-burning incidents in Europe, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that Sweden should not count on Ankara's support for its NATO bid. In February, Turkey discussed with other NATO members the possibility of approving Finland's application separately. The talks with Sweden also resumed.
© Sputnik
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