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The Finnish Parliament overwhelmingly approved the proposal to apply for membership in the NATO military alliance. The proposal received 188 votes in favor and eight against.
Finland is now expected to sign a formal application and submit it to NATO headquarters in the coming days, along with Sweden, where its government announced the same decision yesterday.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, while hosting the Swedish prime minister on Tuesday, said he was ‘optimistic’ that Finland and Sweden would be able to secure Turkey’s support for their NATO membership bids, despite Ankara’s last-minute objections. .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to block the alliance’s expansion, accusing Helsinki and Stockholm of harboring militants from anti-government parties.
Meanwhile, awaiting a response to their NATO application, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would increase its military cooperation with Sweden and Finland.
“We will regularly emphasize this cooperation with high-level political visits to Finland and Sweden, and we will intensify our military cooperation, especially in the Baltic Sea region and through joint exercises,” Scholz said.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will also meet with US President Joe Biden to discuss “their applications to NATO and European security, as well as the strengthening of close partnerships on a range of global issues and support for Ukraine.” .
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