Finland will become the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday, according to Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, The Associated Press is reporting.
“From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.
In a statement following the Turkish vote, the Finnish government said joining the alliance would strengthen the country’s security, BBC News reported.
“As allies, we will give and receive security. We will defend each other. Finland stands with Sweden now and in the future and supports its application,” Prime Minister Sanna Marin wrote on Twitter.
Turkey, for months, had blocked Finland’s entry into the alliance until the country’s parliament voted to approve its application Friday.
Officials in Turkey said they had blocked Finland from joining NATO because of its support of “terrorists.”
Sweden, which applied to join NATO at the same time as Finland did last May, is still being blocked by Turkey over similar complaints.
A flag-raising ceremony to add the Finnish flag to those of the other members will take place at NATO headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, according to the AP.
