ANKARA: Turkiye is planning to approve NATO bid of Finland, independently from Sweden’s, ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections that are scheduled to be held on May 14, Turkish officials said on Wednesday.
The officials said the Turkish parliament is highly likely to ratify Finland’s NATO membership before it closes mid-April for elections.
Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto is scheduled to visit Turkiye on Friday to discuss his country’s bid to join NATO with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Finland and Sweden bid to join NATO
Turkiye has repeatedly said that Sweden needs to take additional steps against supporters of Kurdish militants and network members; Ankara holds responsible for the 2016 coup attempt. Turkiye treats both groups as terrorist organizations.
Talks between Sweden and Turkiye have made little progress, especially following several disputes, mainly over street protests by pro-Kurdish groups in Stockholm.
