The United Kingdom, Lithuania and Estonia, as well as the NATO chief on Friday hailed Türkiye after it removed the last hurdle for Finland by becoming the last nation after Hungary to greenlight the Nordic country’s membership in the security alliance.

For a new country to join NATO, each of the alliance's existing members needs to give its formal approval.

All 276 lawmakers present in Türkiye’s Parliament on Thursday voted unanimously in favor of Finland’s bid, days after Hungary’s Parliament also endorsed Finland’s accession.

In a statement released shortly after the Turkish approval, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto thanked all NATO members for approving their membership.

"Finland will be a strong and capable ally, committed to the security of the alliance," Niinisto said, adding that Helsinki is ready to join NATO and is looking forward to welcoming Sweden as soon as possible.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also hailed the Turkish Parliament’s ratification.

"I welcome the vote of the Grand National Assembly of #Türkiye to complete the ratification of #Finland's accession. This will make the whole #NATO family stronger & safer," Stoltenberg said on Twitter.

Congratulating Finland, he said in another tweet that he looked forward "to raising Finland's flag" at NATO headquarters soon and that "Together we are stronger and safer."

NATO foreign ministers are meeting at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels next week when it is expected the membership could be formalized.

Separately, Stoltenberg praised Finland’s "highly capable forces, advanced capabilities, and strong democratic institutions" and said, "Finland will bring a lot to our alliance."

Ankara has been swarmed by pleas from Swedish, Finnish and NATO officials to greenlight the membership bids of the Nordic countries since they applied to join the bloc last year, spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Recently increasing protests targeting Türkiye by members and sympathizers of terrorist groups like the PKK, its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) put stark emphasis on Türkiye’s security concerns.

A trilateral memorandum the sides inked in Madrid last June won Ankara concrete promises it had demanded, especially in counterterrorism laws, terrorist extraditions and the lifting of an arms embargo. However, Sweden's membership is still pending Turkish ratification due to a number of sticking points, among them Ankara's concerns over what it says is a lack of cooperation in fighting terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations, against all threats to national security."

Hungary has also not yet voted to ratify Sweden's NATO membership, citing "an ample amount of grievances" in a statement related to EU budget funds, among other things.

After hosting Finnish President Sauli Biinisto in Ankara on March 17, Erdoğan announced Türkiye would start the process for admitting Finland into the alliance, citing the Nordic country’s effort to keep its promises as part of the memorandum.

For Sweden’s NATO odds, Erdoğan said Türkiye was "not yet ready" to approve their bid but assured Ankara and Stockholm would "continue discussing terrorism-related issues."

Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın too recently argued the option was still open to Sweden "if it takes the necessary steps."

He said Sweden’s new government is "sincere and diligent in this regard but it does not have enough instruments to take legal action" to address Türkiye’s security concerns.

In a video message also on Friday, Stoltenberg insisted that "all allies agree that a rapid conclusion of the ratification process for Sweden will be in everyone's interest" and urged NATO to maintain momentum and admit Sweden "as soon as possible."

U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly too echoed the NATO chief in saying Finland's accession to NATO would "make all allies safer."

"Peace, freedom and collective security are what underpins our alliance. We stand united against Russia's rejection of these principles. NATO's door is open," he tweeted.

"Lithuania of course welcomes Türkiye’s decision, and now we look forward to welcoming the fourth Baltic State into NATO," Gabrielius Landsbergis, the country's foreign minister, said on Twitter.

"Hello Finland!" Landsbergis said, adding: "Next step: Hey Sweden!"

Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas, for her part, wrote on the micro-blogging site: "All Allies have now ratified Finland's accession to NATO. Welcome to NATO, dear northern neighbors."

"This is a historic moment for the Baltic Sea region and the whole Alliance. Hope Hungary and Türkiye will now ratify Sweden's accession swiftly," Kallas added.

Finland’s accession to the alliance as its 31st member is notable for being one of the fastest-progressing procedures in NATO’s 74-year history. While Türkiye’s ratification fulfills all conditions for membership, the Nordic nation still needs to implement various procedures for the official welcome, namely declaring their compliance with the U.S. protocols per Article 5 in the founding Washington Treaty and delivering their letters of participation to the U.S.

Sweden ‘uncertain’

While Finland is fast on its way to raising its flag in Brussels, Sweden expressed for the first time "uncertainty" over its admission into the bloc by the time of a NATO summit in Vilnius this July due to "fresh signs of objections" from Hungary.

Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said last week that "it goes without saying" Sweden would become a member by the time of a NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

But he told TT news agency on Thursday: "I have noted the things that have been said in recent days, especially from Hungary's side, and that means you always have reason to alter your words."

"I think 'hopeful' in this context is better," he added.

A day earlier, a Hungarian government spokesperson said it was holding up Sweden's admission because of "grievances" over Stockholm's past criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's policies.