Erdogan hints Turkey may ratify Finland’s NATO membership

By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that his country may soon ratify Finland’s application to join NATO. That would allow for the possibility of Finland joining the Western military alliance separately from Sweden. Finland and Sweden abandoned decades of nonalignment and applied to join NATO last year. All 30 existing allies need to ratify their accession. Turkey’s government accuses Sweden of being too soft on groups it deems to be terror organizations. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto is scheduled to meet with Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday. Asked by reporters on Wednesday if the Turkish parliament might ratify Finland’s membership after that, Erdogan responded: “God willing, if it is for the best.”