Finland set to join NATO after Turkey finally approves its application

March 30 (UPI) -- Finland is set to join NATO after Turkey finally set aside months of delays and approved its application.

On Thursday, the Turkish parliament voted unanimously in favor of Finland's membership, after Hungary approved it Monday.

CNN reported that in a statement after the vote, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said his country is "now ready to join NATO."

"All 30 NATO members have now ratified Finland's membership. I want to thank every one of them for their trust and support," he also said. "Finland will be a strong and capable ally, committed to the security of the Alliance."

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many NATO members moved quickly to expedite Finland and Sweden's membership. However, Turkey and Hungary had stymied the process for months.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has accused the countries of housing Kurdish "terrorist organizations." While he changed his tune on Finland, Turkey still remains opposed to Sweden joining NATO.

Sweden and Finland had been in lockstep on their bids to join NATO, but earlier this month Sweden gave Finland its approval to move ahead on its own, according to Breaking Defense.

One day later, Finnish president Sauli Niinistö arrived in Turkey, where he received the blessing of Turkish President Recep Erdoğan, Breaking Defense reported.

Sweden may still get into NATO this year, depending on the Turkey's elections in May and Hungary's views.