Finland has effectively completed the procedures required for joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), moving one step closer to membership than Sweden.
On the 1st (local time), the Finnish Parliament submitted the ratification bill of the "North Atlantic Treaty" to the plenary session and passed it with 184 votes in favor and 7 against.
The North Atlantic Treaty is the foundational treaty establishing NATO as a collective defense organization. Its core is Article 5, which considers an armed attack against one member state as an attack against all member states and provides assistance, including the use of armed force. Once the president signs the parliamentary approval, ratification is confirmed.
Earlier, Finland applied for NATO membership together with Sweden in May last year amid growing security concerns due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Initially, Finland had expressed its intention to join NATO alongside Sweden, but considering its national elections scheduled for April, it appears to have expedited the completion of the necessary procedures for NATO membership.
With Finland passing the NATO ratification bill, it is now more likely to become a formal member before Sweden, which applied for membership together.
However, regardless of the ratification approval by the aspiring member country, unanimous consent from all 30 existing member countries is required for new membership. So far, Finland only awaits approval from two member countries, T?rkiye and Hungary.
In Sweden's case, T?rkiye has not given its consent due to issues related to the extradition of individuals associated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). T?rkiye has delayed its final approval decision, claiming that Sweden has not fully fulfilled its promises prior to granting consent. Moreover, recent anti-T?rkiye protests in Sweden, including the burning of the Islamic holy book, the Quran, have intensified conflicts between the two countries.
Regarding this, Finnish President Sauli Niinist? told reporters last week that he plans to promptly give the final signature once the treaty is approved by Parliament but added, "If there are practical reasons, we can wait."
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