ISTANBUL -- After ratifying Finland's entry into NATO, the Turkish parliament is expected to greenlight Sweden's accession to the military bloc after Turkey's May elections, analysts told Nikkei Asia. Some said they see it happening before the July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
"The current international environment makes it difficult for Turkey to drag its feet further," said Alper Coskun, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. Ratifying Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, has given the Turkish side some breathing room. But Turkey's "special relationship" with President Vladimir Putin's Russia is a hard sell in the West and is complicating Ankara's diplomatic options, the former diplomat said.
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