“Finland’s line has not changed... This is important for our own defense, and over the past ten months a lot of work has been done in this direction both at the level of government and among civil servants,” TASS quoted him as saying.
According to him, the joint entry of countries into NATO is also important for the alliance itself.
“NATO and the alliance's member countries have also stressed how important it is for defense planning that Sweden and Finland become members of NATO together.
This would ensure the operational potential and security of NATO in the Baltic Sea region and the alliance as a whole,” he said.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted that his country could consider Finland's application for NATO membership separately from Sweden.