27 July 2024,   04:11
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Finland’s President signs NATO Law as Accession draws nearer

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto signed the law that allows Russia’s neighbor to join NATO once its missing ratifications - from Hungary and Turkey - are completed in the coming weeks, writes Bloomberg.

The president signed the bill on Thursday in Helsinki, after it was passed by the parliament earlier this month. Hungary is slated to vote on the ratification of Finland’s application next week, while Turkey has said it will do so before its parliament goes on recess ahead of the May 14 elections.

The stance taken by the two holdouts last week to approve the entry of Finland but not Sweden decouples the Nordic countries’ bids to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, filed in May to deter any Russian aggression following its invasion of Ukraine. The move cast further doubt on the timeline of the accession of Sweden, which on Wednesday passed its domestic NATO law in preparation for membership.

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