Turkey was the last country to ratify Finland’s accession to NATO.

President Sauli Niinistö met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey in Ankara on Friday, March 17, 2023. Photograph: Riikka Hietajärvi/The Finnish president’s office

Just minutes before midnight on Thursday it happened:

The Turkish Parliament cast the last vote needed and unanimously approved Finland’s accession to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO.

“All 30 NATO members have now ratified Finland’s membership,” President Sauli Niinistö said on Twitter. “I want to thank every one of them for their trust and support. Finland will be a strong and capable Ally, committed to the security of the Alliance,” he continued.

The Turkish vote came after months of delays. Another country that delayed the ratification process was Hungary but the country’s parliament finally ratified Finland’s membership on Monday.

With the votes of the aforementioned countries, only paperwork remains.

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