President: Finland will join Nato by July

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö says he believes Finland and Sweden's prolonged Nato membership process has been a headache for the organisation.

Sauli Niinistö says he expects Finland to be a Nato member by the time the alliance stages its next top summit, the Finnish news agency reports.

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said he believes Finland and Sweden will be Nato members by the time the alliance stages its top summit in Vilnius, Lithuania from 11-12 July, Finnish news agency STT reports on Saturday.

He said that if Finland is still not a member by then, the situation would beg the question why joining the alliance would still be possible later on. Delaying membership after this date would feel like "prolonging the issue," according to Niinistö.

"This [drawn out process] has already been a problem for Nato. It has also surprised member countries," Niinistö told STT of the stalemate caused by Turkey's refusal to ratify Finland and Sweden's membership applications.

"Bilateral talks between the United States and Turkey could help move things along," he added.

Responding to current debate regarding Finland and Sweden joining the military alliance at different times, Niinistö said Finland must maintain a "mutual understanding" with its Nordic neighbour.

He added that the goal was for both countries to swiftly join Nato together.

On Friday, parliamentary group leaders agreed that Parliament can push ahead with Nato legislation, even though Hungary and Turkey have yet to ratify Finland's membership application.

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