Turkey may approve Finland’s NATO bid before May 14 elections

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey may approve Finland’s candidacy for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) independently of Sweden ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14, reports said. two Turkish officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

Officials said it is very likely that Turkey’s parliament will ratify Finland’s NATO membership before suspending its activities in mid-April ahead of elections.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto will travel to Turkey on Friday to discuss his country’s candidacy for a coalition with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sweden and Finland asked to join NATO last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, but Sweden faced objections, particularly from Turkey, which offered no assurances about its agreement.

(Reporting by Orhan Koşkun and Hüseyin Hayatsever, French edition edited by Dina Karteit, Kate Enstringer)