Finnish president discusses Sweden's potential for joining NATO
(MENAFN) Sauli Niinisto, the president of Finland, has claimed that Helsinki is still committed to joining NATO with Stockholm. The two Nordic nations submitted applications simultaneously, but Ankara could treat them independently due to the two nations' different connections with bloc member Turkey.
During a news conference held on Tuesday with Mary Simon, the Governor General of Canada, Sauli Niinisto made the statement, “we have received different signals from Türkiye. Our stance is clear: We will join NATO with Sweden. Our goal is that both Finland and Sweden move forward together.”
After Russia started its military campaign in Ukraine in February of last year, Finland and Sweden both declared their intentions to apply for membership in NATO. The only two NATO members to still need to ratify the applications are Turkey and Hungary.
Rasmus Paludan, a Danish far-right politician who is also a Swedish citizen, organized a rally in Stockholm last month and burnt the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy. This led to issues. Official approval of the demonstration came from Sweden, despite repeated cautions from Turkey. Stockholm's NATO application is being halted by Ankara, and Finland is caught in the crossfire.
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