President Erdoğan Approves NATO Membership Ratification, President Niinisto: Important For Finnish people

President Erdogan with President Niinisto. (Twitter/@RTErdogan)

JAKARTA - Finnish President Sauli Niinisto thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has announced Turkey's plans to start the process of ratifying the membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for his country.

"We understand beforehand that you have taken a decision and today's signing confirms that the Turkish Parliament has started work on the ratification of Finland's membership," President Niinisto said in a joint press conference with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, launching Daily Sabah March 17.

"Turkey's approval of Finland's membership in NATO is very important news for the Finnish people," he continued while thanking President Erdoğan.

Furthermore, President Niinisto also praised the President of Turkey, for being one of the rare leaders, perhaps the only one who can communicate with all world leaders.

Earlier, President Erdoğan announced Turkey had decided to start the process of ratifying Finland's NATO membership on Friday, stressing what he said was a concrete step by Helsinki to address Ankara's concerns.

Turkey's parliament is expected to ratify Finland before it closes in mid-April, ahead of parliamentary and presidential votes scheduled for May 14.

On a different note, President Erdogan said that Sweden did not respond positively to Turkey's extradition request for the terrorists, but instead accepted it.

"Turkey will continue to have discussions with Sweden on issues related to terrorism, NATO membership in Stockholm will directly depend on their steps," President Erdogan said.

Apart from Hungary, whose ruling party has said it supports the two countries' candidacy but delayed its move, Turkey is the only NATO member that has yet to give the green light to Finland and Sweden.

Finlandiya Cumhurbaşkanı Sayın Sauli Niinistö ve heyetini Ankara’da misafir etmekten memnuniyet duyduk.

Sayın @Niinisto ile görüşmelerimizde, Türkiye - Finlandiya münasebetlerini geliştirme yönündeki ortak irademizi teyit ederken önümüzdeki dönemde atacağımız adımları ele aldık.… https://t.co/JSi1fgIkGS pic.twitter.com/GATKe3ttmo

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) March 17, 2023