The Turkish parliament tonight ratified the protocol for Finland's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, clearing the last hurdle for the country to become a NATO member as war rages in Ukraine. reported world media.

"For the ratification of the protocol for the accession of Finland to NATO - 276 votes, the proposal has been accepted. "Congratulations to Finland and its citizens," said Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Heydar Akar.

The vote was welcomed by NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.

I welcome the vote of the Grand National Assembly of # Türkiye to complete the ratification of #Finland's accession. This will make the whole #NATO family stronger & safer.

- Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) March 30, 2023

Turkey was the last of the alliance's 30 members to ratify Finland's membership, after the Hungarian legislature did so this week. The Macedonian Assembly ratified the protocol last year in July.

The President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently said that Finland had secured Turkey's favor after it "took concrete steps to keep promises to crack down on groups" made up of Turkish expatriates that Ankara considers terrorist.

Finland and Sweden applied to join the transatlantic military alliance last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the process was blocked by Turkey and Hungary. The parliaments of all NATO member states must ratify new members.

Ankara continues to delay the approval of Sweden's candidacy. Erdogan's government says the country has not done enough to crack down on what official Turkey considers "terrorist" groups, mostly linked to Kurdish organizations or Feto, the movement of Erdogan's exiled political enemy. Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States.

The Swedish authorities said today that there is little chance that the country will join the military bloc at the summit in Vilnius in July.

Stoltenberg: Sweden has met Turkey's conditions for NATO membership