Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have made their decision regarding Finland's NATO membership, which will be officially announced on Friday March 17 during a visit by the Finnish President, Helsinki announced.
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“
The Turks hoped that I would be there to receive their answer when they announced their decision.
Of course, I accepted the invitation and I will go to receive the expression of their intentions
,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said in a statement.
We will do what our promise requires.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President
Currently campaigning for his re-election, the Turkish president, who has been blocking the membership of Finland and Sweden since last year, had already hinted this Wednesday morning that he would respond favorably to the "promise" given in
Helsinki
to enter the covenant.
"
We will do our part, we will keep the promise we gave
," said Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“
Friday we will meet the president, we will do what our promise requires
”.
It is the Turkish Parliament which must ratify Finland's accession to NATO, presented jointly with Sweden in May 2022. No date is known, the question remaining as to whether the vote will take place before or after the Turkish elections on May 14.
Even if Hungary must also ratify, a green light from Turkey in Helsinki leaves the way wide open for Finland to join NATO.
A country bordering Russia, the Nordic country was forced into neutrality by Moscow after the Second World War, before becoming militarily unaligned at the end of the Cold War.
Read alsoOtan: Erdogan is closing the door to Sweden more and more
Veto on the Swedish candidacy
Things are on the other hand much more complicated for Sweden, which concentrates the objections of Ankara.
Turkey notably accuses Stockholm of passivity in the face of Kurdish "
terrorists
" who live in Sweden.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted on Tuesday that the likelihood of Finland joining NATO before Sweden had increased in recent weeks.
While keeping the hope of closing the entrance to Stockholm quickly before the next NATO summit in July in Vilnius.
Politically unthinkable until now, the candidacies of Sweden and Finland are a direct consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a sign of a major threat from Moscow to European security according to the two countries.
