Relationship dossier
Turkey
Finland
Relationship assessment
NATO allies with growing security cooperation and some friction over Turkey’s delayed ratification of Finnish membership.
Turkey toward Finland
+15Turkey ultimately ratified Finland’s NATO accession in March 2023, enabling Finland to join the alliance. The approval followed a prolonged delay linked to Turkish security concerns, adding friction to bilateral relations.
Finland toward Turkey
+35Finland supported NATO enlargement and authorized defense exports to Turkey after easing restrictions imposed in 2019. These steps supported security cooperation, although the scope of broader bilateral defense collaboration is unclear.
Overall relationship
+25The durable structure is cooperation between NATO allies, reinforced by Finland’s accession and defense-related engagement. Turkey’s delayed approval of that accession highlighted disagreements over security concerns, but did not prevent Finland from joining the alliance.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Turkey and Finland cooperate as NATO allies, including through Finland’s accession to NATO in 2023. Turkey delayed ratification of Finland’s membership amid security-related concerns before approving it. Finland supported NATO enlargement and authorized defense exports to Turkey after restrictions imposed in 2019 were eased. Security cooperation is substantial, though the accession process exposed friction.
Areas of tension
- Turkey’s security concerns and delayed ratification of Finland’s NATO accession.
Key developments
Turkey ratified Finland’s NATO accession after delaying approval amid security-related concerns.
Finland joined NATO.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral defense cooperation beyond NATO are unclear.
- The continuing effect of Turkey’s security concerns on bilateral cooperation is uncertain.