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Added on the 17/03/2023 11:58:13 - Copyright : France 24 EN
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, welcomes his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinistö, with an official welcoming ceremony in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The Finnish president's visit comes as the Russia-bordering Scandinavian country hopes to receive the green light from Turkey to join NATO. IMAGES
"About the NATO membership, we have to take it calmly and we have to wait for the elections in Turkey to take place" says Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. The comment comes after the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto announced Finland has to consider joining NATO without Sweden, whose bid appears to grind to a halt after Ankara blasted Stockholm over anti-Turkey protests. "Keep your watch on the ball but don’t be a ball yourself," adds Niinisto. SOUNDBITE
French President Emmanuel Macron meets Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the first day of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Images show the two presidents shaking hands and posing for photos at the end of their meeting. NATO leaders grapple with Ukraine's membership ambitions, their determination to face down Russia boosted by a breakthrough in Sweden's bid to join the alliance. IMAGES
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asks the country's parliament to vote on Finland's application to joint the NATO defence alliance, saying "I wish that this decision will be good for our countries and our alliance". Erdogan's announcement comes as Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö, visits Ankara. SOUNDBITE
French president Macron meets with his Turkish counterpart Erdogan at NATO summit in Madrid as NATO leaders are set to invite Finland and Sweden to join after Turkey dropped its objections, with the alliance looking to revamp its defences at a summit dominated by the war in Ukraine. IMAGES
Turkey signs a memorandum with Finland and Sweden supporting the invitation for the two Nordic countries to become members of NATO. IMAGES