Slovakia's President Ratifies Accession Protocol For Finland, Sweden To NATO

Faizan Hashmi Published September 29, 2022 | 02:50 AM

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th September, 2022) Slovak President Zuzana Caputova on Wednesday ratified the protocol on the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO.

The Slovak parliament backed the accession of both countries to the alliance. Only Hungary and Turkey are left to approve the expansion now.

"Both Scandinavian countries will further strengthen the alliance and our common security with their accession and defense capabilities. I look forward to our new allies," Caputova said after signing the document, as quoted by Slovak broadcaster TA3.

On May 18, three months since the onset of the Ukraine crisis, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications, abandoning decades of neutrality. Turkey, which had initially blocked their applications citing Helsinki and Stockholm's support of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, has dropped its objections.