The opposition from Turkey has turned the process of joining NATO into “purgatory” for Finland, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto complained on Wednesday.
With bids by Finland and neighboring Sweden stalled for two weeks now, Haavisto expressed hope that an announcement on the enlargement of the US-led military bloc could still be made at the NATO summit in Madrid in late June.
The possibility of Helsinki and Stockholm joining NATO by the end of 2022 remained, but a scenario in which the process dragged on also couldn’t be ruled out, he told reporters.
Due to the stance of the Turkish authorities, Finland has found itself in “a sort of a purgatory, which we weren’t prepared for in this form,” Haavisto acknowledged.
Finland and Sweden, who stayed out of NATO during the Cold War, decided to join the bloc in the wake of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. The Nordic nations filed their applications in mid-May and hoped for a swift accession, being backed by the US and other members.