What does NATO say about Finland and Finland’s membership? Turkish President avuşolu on the issue of ratification

The Secretary of State said that the US would be able to call NATO allies Sweden and Finn after talking with his counterparts.

What NATO is saying about Finland and Sweden’s membership: On Thursday, NATO chief Stoltenberg said that “the main issue is not whether they are ratified together, the main issue is that Finland and Sweden are ratified as soon as possible.”

Turkish President has accused both countries of harbouring members of the PKK, a group Turkey considers a terrorist organization.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Sweden and Finland of being “like guest houses for terror organizations,” but he is particularly unhappy with Sweden. Ankara wants to know if the two countries want individuals in their territory.

“It is possible for us to assess the candidacy of Finland separately and this will no doubt be a topic that is discussed in the meetings we have today,” said Çavuşoğlu at a press conference in Ankara, Turkey alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

“After the declaration that a different decision could be reached in relation to Finland, we discussed this matter with the countries involved and NATO,” he said.

In the aftermath of the Quran burning in Sweden, relations between Turkey and Sweden deteriorated.

They strengthened their legislation on terrorism by removing restrictions on arms exports. And Sweden is also amending their constitution and stepped up the cooperation with Türkiye, also established a permanent mechanism to continue to work closely with Türkiye in the fight against terrorism,” he continued.

Stoltenberg added that “it’s the Turkish Government, the Turkish parliament, that decides on the issue over ratification, and it’s a Turkish decision alone.”

Finns are Not Just Neighborhoods: Are We Going to Leave the Bruxelles Nine Behind? How Do We Want to Move Forward with Finland?

Editor’s Note: Marja Heinonen, a Finnish author of several books, has more than three decades’ experience as a journalist, editor and in academia, and holds a doctorate in communications. The views expressed are of her own. Read more opinion on CNN.

We’re not just neighbors; We are bound together by centuries of shared history. The kingdoms of Sweden and Finns ruled the areas for 500 years. One of the official languages in Finland is Swedish. Most Finns learn to speak the language passably well.

Finland also has robust military defenses which we developed as a matter of exigency, living in the shadow of a powerful Russian neighbor with whom we already went to war once before, back when it was part of the Soviet Union. Until one year ago, we Finns actually harbored the idea that our eastern neighbor had become a peace-loving trading partner, and no longer posed a threat to our national security.

US President Joe Biden used his meetings in Poland with other leaders from the so-called “Bruxelles Nine” to remind them of the importance of the article in the face of any potential hostilities with Moscow.

Political observers in Hungary say Budapest seems likely to relent as the application process proceeds this spring. The Hungarian parliament has a vote on the NATO bids in early March, officials have signaled that they will approve both bids.

All of this raises a question for Finns: Is this where we’re going to end up? When it comes to securing a coveted spot in the NATO military alliance, is it every man – every nation – for itself?

For the last few months, that uncomfortable possibility has been openly debated in political and security circles, and among average citizens in my country of some 5.5 million people. The officials from both countries are sticking to their guns even though they don’t know whether the two Nordic allies can move forward together.

Sanna Marin said at the press conference in Sweden that her country would join NATO with Sweden. There are, however, varying interpretations of “hand in hand.”

Some Finns think that the more than 800-mile long border we share with Russia makes it necessary for us to go first. Others feel that in the end, it won’t make all that much difference if Finland joins first and Sweden joins a few months from now. But in an unsettled world, both nations are eager to close the deal as soon as they possibly can.

The poll found that a small majority of Finns were willing to join the alliance ahead of Sweden.

Those threats may be what has led to a softening in the tone of the debate in recent days. By the time of its July summit, NATO still wants to have Sweden and Finn join the alliance, according to the organization’s secretary-general.