Finnish president Sauli Niinisto is optimistic Türkiye will ratify Finland's application to join NATO, he told reporters on Friday.
"I'm optimistic that at the end Türkiye will ratify our membership, I hope it takes place as soon as possible," Niinisto told a joint news conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in Vilnius.
Finland and neighbouring Sweden applied for membership of the defence alliance after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The process has been prolonged by negotiations between Finland, Sweden and Türkiye after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blasted the Nordic countries for putting their support behind FETO and PKK terror groups.
Niinisto repeated his stance that Finland and Sweden joining together would benefit the whole alliance.
"It's very important to walk hand in hand with Sweden ... Swedish membership is important for all of us," he said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is currently in Türkiye and will meet with Erdogan on Friday while Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson is due to travel to Ankara on Nov. 8.
