Turkey Moves to Ratify Finland's NATO Application

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Friday, March 17, that Turkey would ratify Finland’s application for NATO membership.

After meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Ankara on Friday, Erdogan said he would send Finland’s application to the Turkish parliament, where it is expected to be ratified, according to news reports.

“NATO, which will become stronger with Finland’s membership, will thus play a more active role in maintaining global security and stability,” said Erdogan in a Twitter statement.

NATO requires all member states to approve new applicants. If Turkey ratifies the application, Finland would still need Hungary’s approval to join NATO.

Following Turkey’s announcement, Máté Kocsis, the leader of the parliamentary group for Fidesz, Hungary’s ruling party, said on Facebook that they had agreed to vote unanimously in favor of Finland’s membership in a vote scheduled for March 27. Credit: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan via Storyful