NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday in Brussels accepted the applications of the Ambassadors of Finland and Sweden to their countries' membership in the alliance.
The decision to join NATO was made by the Finnish Parliament on Tuesday with 188 votes in favor and 8 against. The Government and President Sauli Niinistö approved it.
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed the application for membership in the bloc on the same day.
The NATO Council will first consider applications for membership after which, membership agreements must be ratified by all 30-member countries.
Ankara, in exchange for Sweden-Finland NATO membership agreement, demands lifting of arms embargoes imposed on Turkey by European countries, as well as US sanctions due to the acquisition of Russian S-400 systems, Bloomberg reports, citing to Turkish officials.
