On 28 February, the Finnish Parliament will vote on the necessary legislation to allow Finland to become a member of NATO. The announcement by the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee confirms that Helsinki is ready to accelerate its path, even without Sweden. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö reinforced the concept at the ‘Security Conference’ in Munich: “We have an understanding with Sweden: both of us should become members of the Alliance as soon as possible.” Asked what Helsinki would do if Ankara only ratified its entry, Niinistö clarified that “we do not want to and cannot withdraw our application: we have expressed our will”. In May, Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership, but immediately encountered opposition from Turkey, which accused the two Nordic countries of harbouring Kurdish terrorist groups. In June, tight negotiations led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding in which Stockholm and Helsinki pledged to hand over a number of terrorists and to lift the 2019 ban on arms sales to Ankara. While negotiations with Finland went almost smoothly, those with Sweden stalled amid extradition requests deemed illegitimate by Swedish courts, demonstrations in support of the Kurds, and not least a right-wing activist who burnt the Koran in Stockholm. Turkish President Erdogan has raised the barricades, therefore the hypothesis of splitting the fates has been raised, giving priority to Helsinki as soon as Turkey and Hungary give their green light. It does not matter that the two countries enter together, but that the demands are ratified ‘as soon as possible’, confirmed NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg. The Finnish parliament’s vote should not hold any surprises, as most parliamentarians are in favour of NATO membership.
