Finland and Sweden Sign NATO Accession Protocols

The foreign ministers of Finland and Sweden have signed the protocols for their accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the doors of the alliance will remain open to European democracies wishing to contribute to our shared security. The membership bids of the two countries are set to be sent to the capitals of the alliance for legislative approvals. Despite the agreement among the coalition countries, the parliamentary approval in Turkey remains a hurdle for the final inclusion of both nations. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned that Ankara could still obstruct the process if the two countries fail to fully meet Turkey's demands for the extradition of suspected terrorists linked to banned Kurdish groups or the network of an exiled cleric suspected of involvement in the failed coup in 2016.