The most significant expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since the 1990s is on the way, as the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee backed Tuesday the accession of Sweden and Finland to the bloc.
The Committee approved the accession to the bloc by voice vote. Still, the 30 members of the North Atlantic organization need to review and rectify the documents before the defense clause be effective in Finland and Sweden. This clause indicates that an attack on one member is an attack against all.
The process of rectification is expected to last at least one year. Otherwise, in the meantime, both countries can participate in the meetings convened by NATO, and they will be granted greater access to intelligence.
In light of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden decided to apply for NATO's membership. Türkiye initially opposed their accession, accusing the Nordic countries of supporting groups it deems terrorists.
The three countries in the conflict signed an agreement earlier during the NATO summit celebrated in Madrid to lift Ankara's opposition vote in exchange for a commitment to counter-terrorism and arms exports.
Ankara said it would closely watch for the fulfillment of the agreement to ratify its membership bids.