Finland's Niinisto to visit Türkiye, discuss NATO application -Turkish presidency

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto will visit Türkiye this week to discuss Finland's bid to join NATO with President Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish presidency said on Wednesday.

"Bilateral relations as well as Finland's application for NATO membership will be discussed in the meetings that will take place in Istanbul," the Turkish presidency's statement said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet with Niinisto in Istanbul on Friday, the directorate said in a statement.

The leaders will discuss all aspects of bilateral relations, and steps that can be taken to improve cooperation.

They will also exchange views on last year's NATO Madrid summit, Finland's NATO membership bid, Türkiye-EU relations, and regional and international issues, according to the statement.

Last June, Türkiye, Finland and Sweden signed a memorandum at a NATO summit in Madrid to address Ankara's legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.

The memorandum addresses Türkiye's concerns, including arms exports and the fight against terrorism.

Only Hungary and Türkiye have not yet ratified Sweden and Finland's requests for inclusion in NATO.

To approve their NATO membership bids, Ankara demands the two Nordic countries take concrete actions to combat terrorist groups PKK and Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye. However, Sweden is seen as not doing enough to gain Türkiye's approval.