Germany ratifies NATO accession for Finland, Sweden

German lawmakers in the Bundestag ratified on Friday Sweden and Finland's accession to NATO. 

Parliaments of the Western military alliance's 30 members must all ratify the accession protocol for new members to join. 

The Bundestag became the latest legislature to approve the process after Canada, Estonia, Denmark and Norway. 

Finland and Sweden moved from decades of neutrality to join NATO when Russia's invasion of Ukraine started.

How did the vote go?

The process in the Bundestag was "extremely fast," DW's political correspondent Nina Haase said. 

Haase said, citing unnamed sources, that Germany had intended to become the first country to ratify the accession, but other countries were faster. "But nevertheless, the signal remains the same... [Germany] is firmly behind the idea of Finland and Sweden joining NATO," she added.

The decision had the backing of parties from across the political spectrum.  The governing coalition parties (consisting of the center-left SPD, environmentalist Greens and neoliberal FDP), as well as the opposition conservative CDU and the far-right AfD, all voted in favor. Only members of the Left Party abstained. 

"Today we are strengthening the democratic values of NATO," said German Foreign Ministry official Tobias Lindner during the parliamentary debate ahead of the vote. 

Jenny L Malmqvist, the deputy head of mission at the Swedish embassy in Germany, told DW it was an "honor" to have been invited to witness the "historic" vote. 

"There is a before and after the 24th of February [when Russia invaded Ukraine]. And we are hoping, of course, in giving all our support in financial and humanitarian and also military means to Ukraine."

How likely is it that Sweden and Finland will join NATO?

NATO has formally invited the two Nordic countries to join the alliance, but as the ratification requires unanimous approval of all 30 members, Turkey's approval is still uncertain. 

Ankara had threatened to block the accession, and has so far delayed the ratification process. 

Turkey has accused Finland and Sweden of supporting what it deems terrorist organizations, including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the Kurdish YPG militia active in northern Syria and the Gulen movement.

The PKK is considered a terrorist organization also by the US, the EU and Canada, but the two other groups are not.

Turkey, Finland and Sweden reached a deal, which, according to Turkey, entails that Ankara will back their membership bids on the condition that they extradite dozens of people deemed "terrorists." But Ankara still insists that it will block the accession if they don't fulfill the agreement.

"All countries and all NATO partners have their own processes and procedures, and of course we are aware of all that and I think today we are just here to witness the strong signal and the quick process that was that was made by Germany," Swedish envoy Malmqvist told DW.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompts policy rethinks

Finland and Sweden were neutral for decades. But with their geographical proximity to Russia, the Nordic countries launched a bid to join NATO fearing the Kremlin's territorial ambitions could extend throughout the Baltic region.

Finland, in particular, shares a 1,300-kilometer (810-mile) border with the Russian Federation and fought the Soviet Union during World War II, losing territory after the conflict.

Finland's ambassador to Germany, Anne Sipilanen, told DW that Russia's invasion of Ukraine meant "a fundamental change of our security environment."

"We made an analysis and, with support of the population, almost 80% of Finns are now in favour of membership. It was an easy decision." 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted other major policy changes in the region. 

Germany, for instance, has pledged military aid to Ukraine. Berlin initially refused to send weapons to conflict zones, but later changed its stance after pressure from Ukraine, as well as moves by Germany's allies. 

fb/rt (AFP, dpa)