The Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission will discuss the ratification of Finland's NATO membership protocol on March 23, a parliamentary source said on Tuesday
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2023) The Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission will discuss the ratification of Finland's NATO membership protocol on March 23, a parliamentary source said on Tuesday.
Earlier in March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country's parliament has started the process of ratification of Finland's NATO membership bid. The protocol on Finland's NATO accession, signed by Erdogan, has been submitted to the Presidency of the Turkish parliament, the TRT Haber broadcaster reported.
"The protocol, which was sent to the Turkish Grand National Assembly by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was signed by Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop and submitted to the commission, it is on the agenda. The proposal will be discussed in the Foreign Affairs Commission of Turkey's Grand National Assembly on Thursday. Then, if the proposal is deemed appropriate, it will go to the General Assembly on Friday or Saturday," the source told Sputnik.
Finland and Sweden applied to become NATO members last May, three months after Russia started its special military operation in Ukraine. By the end of 2022, 28 out of 30 NATO member states ratified the applications with the exception of Hungary and Turkey.
Budapest and Ankara have signaled readiness to ratify Finland's bid, while tensions between Turkey and Sweden are ongoing due to a provocative Quran-burning demonstration that a far-right activist staged in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January with the Swedish authorities' approval.
