“The Turks have hoped that I will be present and welcome a response when they announce the decision. I have naturally responded positively to the invitation [to visit] and get their letters of intent,” he wrote.
The news is encouraging, Kaikkonen said.
– I would say that on Friday we have permission to wait for confirmation that Turkey can ratify it, he commented to the public radio service.
Turkey and Hungary are the only member countries of the 30-nation defense alliance that have not yet ratified the membership applications of Finland and Sweden. The applications were submitted in May 2022, a couple of months after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Both Reuters and Helsingin sanomat newspaper have reported that Turkey plans to ratify Finland’s application before the parliamentary elections in May.
Hungary, on the other hand, has announced that it will not be the last country to ratify the applications. After his meeting with the Hungarian Defense Minister last week Kristóf Szalay-BobrovniczkyKaikkonen believes that Hungary could ratify Finland’s membership application by the end of the month.
However, Kaikkonen emphasized that neither country’s decision is certain yet.
“That’s for sure when the gavel has dropped in both countries,” he said.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page