The relations between Russia and Turkey have little importance for Finland’s NATO project, Niinistö tells MTV
OPPORTUNITY Closer relations between Russia and Turkey would have little effect on the ongoing NATO membership processes in Finland and Sweden, the president Sauli Niinistö estimated year interview with MTV Uutis on Friday.
“I don’t think it would have a terrible impact on our NATO process,” he said in Satakunta Pori.
Turkey stands out from the other defense alliance member countries in that it has maintained a closer bilateral relationship with Russia. However, Niinistö does not believe that the relationship is uncomplicated or that the relationship will certainly grow closer under the prevailing circumstances.
“It’s worth keeping in mind that while there may be smiles in group photos, there may also be all kinds of conflicts under the surface,” he said.
Finland kept its eyes and ears open in the spring, he said, but did not notice the common interests of Russia and Turkey.
“We’ve been keeping our antennae extended throughout the spring and getting quite a lot of information about whether anyone has noticed even the slightest hint that Russia and Turkey have something in common in our application,” he said. “Nothing has been caught, and I can tell you there are a lot of keen eyes in the world.”
Half of the 30 NATO countries have already ratified the membership applications of Finland and Sweden. According to YLE. Canada and Denmark ratified the applications on the same day the Accession Protocols were signed, but have since been joined by Norway, Iceland, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Albania, Poland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Latvia and Slovenia and Croatia.
Douglas T. HickeyUS Ambassador to Finland, told Ilta-Sanomat on Thursday believes that the US will ratify the membership application before the start of the US Senate’s summer recess on August 4.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT