KEY POINTS
  • Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "We have decided to initiate the ratification of Finland's accession process to NATO in our parliament."
  • In May, Finland and Sweden sent applications to join the military alliance.
  • They decided to put an end to their policies of neutrality and military non-alignment in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday approved Finland's accession to NATO after months of talks, but added that discussions with Sweden will continue.

"We have decided to initiate the ratification of Finland's accession process to NATO in our parliament," Erdogan said in Ankara, according to a Reuters translation, as he met his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto.