Finland's Parliament approves NATO membership
Finland's Parliament gave final approval for the state's historic bid to join NATO, with lawmakers signing off on membership along with the required legislation.
The legislature allowed Finland's accession to NATO, clearing the last required national hurdle for joining the 30-member Western alliance, the Associated Press reports.
Finland's NATO membership takes effect after ratification from Turkey and Hungary and a final rubber stamp from the United States, which already gave its green light last summer. So far, 28 of the 30 NATO countries have ratified membership for Finland and Sweden, who applied together last May.
Despite the delay in approval from Turkey and Hungary, Parliament decided to finalise its part before the end of its legislative term, scheduled for 29 March, and elections in early April.
Finland officially applied for the bloc membership along with Sweden in May last year, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by the full-scale russia's war in Ukraine.
