The Finnish parliament approved the bill on Wednesday. Niinisto's signing has finalized the ratification of the country's application to the alliance at the national level.
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022, several months after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. However, both of their membership bids were blocked by Turkiye, which accused Stockholm and Helsinki of leniency toward "terrorists," referring to several Kurdish organizations with a presence in the Nordic countries. Turkiye subsequently lifted its objections after the Madrid summit in June 2022, where a security memorandum that unblocked the process of accession to the alliance was signed.
The accession process came once more to a standstill for Sweden in January following the Quran-burning incident in Stockholm. Erdogan said the country should not count on Ankara's support for its NATO bid, but expressed no reservations regarding Finland's bid.